Mullen Shocked by Pirate Attack on Supertanker

American Forces Press Service ^ | Jim Garamone

[SandRat]

Agreed.

[cookcounty]

"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."

Even at $60/bbl, the cargo is worth $120 million.

[mad_as_he$$]

Sounds more like a job for Blackwater.

[El Gato]

The map accompanying that article shows the place I directed Google, and other, maps to. Nothing there in terms of a port. It's like Browsnville Texas without the dreged out channel norht of the Rio Grande which allows access to the port, at least for small shrimpers and such. The way the Rio Grande sort of ends, look very similar to the stream at Eyl.

Where do they put all the ships they take there? There do not appear to be barrier islands in that part of the coast, such as there along most of the US Gulf and Atlantic coasts. It's more like the pacific coast, with many fewer natural bays.

[Lucretia Borgia]

Are there no firearms on those ships?

I just finished reading Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas yesterday. The author goes into this in detail. First off, in most of their ports of call privately owned firearms are strictly forbidden and being caught with one is a ticket to a long prison sentence. Secondly, there are a lot of volatile liquids and venting combustible gasses on these tankers, and to fire a gun is to invite a catastrophic fire or explosion.

There are outfits like Blackwater that do provide maritime security, but they aren't cheap, and there are just plain too many tankers out there to put security on all of them. So most of the time the owners settle for keeping the ship well lit, keeping the firehoses going full blast and aimed at the likely boarding spots, and locking up the interior of the ship like a fortress.

Interestingly enough, both the Israelis and the Russians are well known for their assertive defensive postures, and their ships almost never get attacked. Something to do with bloated bullet-riddled bodies washing up on the beach a few days after someone tries it.

[Billthedrill]

These jokers attack in old dhows pulling a motorboat.

If so they had enough intelligence data to position the dhows 450 nm out or they'd never catch the tanker. I'm guessing the boys may have upgraded their gear, though.

I think the general view of merchant sailors is a little more aggressive than the ones I know merit. They're just working stiffs doing a rather tough and dirty job, and risking their lives to protect their cargo is not in the job description, especially if it involves shooting firehoses at people armed with RPG's and automatic weapons. The pirates have taken (relatively) good care of past hostages, enough to prevent a life-or-death scenario from the point of view of the sailors.

More likely it will take armed professionals to oppose armed professionals (yeah, give me a cupie doll for a golden revelation on that one). It simply becomes a question of who, and when. But it will most definitely involve attacks on a civilian population and a risk of death for hostages. So who bells the cat?

[El Gato]

Interestingly enough, both the Israelis and the Russians are well known for their assertive defensive postures, and their ships almost never get attacked. Something to do with bloated bullet-riddled bodies washing up on the beach a few days after someone tries it.

The only thing likely to deter pirates. But it may not always work either, if the pirates also see themselves as some kind of Holy Warrior. These guys apparently kid themselves that they are that, calling themselves "coast guardians" or some such.

[BIGLOOK]

450 nautical miles SE of Mombasa, Kenya is a stretch, Sandy. Puts the location off the islands near the Indian Ocean.

Any boarding by pirates using small craft would need transport to the area by a larger ship.

[SandRat]

Most assureadly a Mother-Ship.

Yet that is what the article says.

[Billthedrill]

It isn’t much, is it? Not even a breakwater. I would guess they anchor them out but I don’t really know. Now, a tanker this size isn’t really designed to spend any time swinging off an anchor chain(s) so the problem, as you point out, might not be all that easily addressed. Their only real option might be a threat to sink her.

[BIGLOOK]

That’s why Adm. Mullen’s shocked.

[BIGLOOK]

Bubbleheads constantly suffer from Nitrogen narcosis!

[Chickensoup]

not an oral before the department head.

Reminds me of a girl I went to school with...

[Chickensoup]

GMTA?

[Doohickey]

Note that with piracy increasing, global temperatures are in decline. Lends credence to this chart:

[BIGLOOK]

Note that with piracy increasing, global temperatures are in decline. Lends credence to this chart:

That's mind boggling!

[calex59]

Oh, by the way, 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?

The F35 Joint Strike fighter(called joint because it is made to service the airforce, navy and marines)has a vertical lift off version, the one the Navy will use, and it supposedly is easier to fly than the Harrier, they are in the midst of testing it now, not sure when it will be released for duty but the Harriers we have are supposed to be able to last until then(hopefully).

[Ax]

Arrrgh matey, time for these blighters to walk the plank.

One would think that there were enough fighters stationed at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, both U.S. and French, that they could mount some kind of heliborne reaction to any piracy within range of their choppers. I'm sure that the 13DBLE there would love to use their bayonets against some of those pirates.

[JasonC]

How stupid are you people? Put 3 50 cals on the dang things and have done with it. Geezo Christo what idiots!

[B Knotts]

“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.”

Can't the captain hang 'em from the yardarm?