Posted on 04/11/2009 8:35:25 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
Somali pirates have hijacked a US-owned tugboat in the Gulf of Aden with 16 crew on board, reports say.
Maritime industry sources say the tug, which sails under an Italian flag, was towing two barges at the time of the attack, at 1100 local time (0800 GMT).
The crew are said to be unharmed. The US and Italian governments have not confirmed the hijacking.
Meanwhile pirates holding a US captain hostage have warned that using force to rescue him could result in "disaster".
The pirates said they hoped to transfer Capt Richard Phillips from a lifeboat to a bigger vessel, as US and other naval ships made their way to the area.
He is being held by four pirates hundreds of kilometres off Somalia.
In other developments:
- Sailors on a Panama-flagged bulk carrier repulsed a pirate attack with water hoses. Nato officials on a nearby Portuguese warship said an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade landed in the commanding officer's cabin
- On Friday, one Frenchman and two pirates were killed in a rescue operation by French troops on another vessel captured off Somalia. Four others, including a child, were freed from the yacht
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
All we need now is a killer rabbit.
Gee - I feel better already! Bet those pirates are shaking in their boots!
“Sure, there’s the MV Biscaglia, owned by Industrial Shipping Enterprises of Connecticut, but flying a Liberian flag.”
The MV Biscaglia was built by Odense Staalskibsværft A/S of Denmark, is owned by the Winged Foot Shipping LLC, of the Marshall Islands and is operated by Ishima (International Ship Management) Pte. Ltd., of Singapore. Not a US vessel.
Well, the incomprable Joe Biden did warn us to gird our loins. Hey, if they’re girded, we’re good, right?
Well, the incomprable Joe Biden did warn us to gird our loins. Hey, if they’re girded, we’re good, right?
I don’t think your plan will work. Have you seen pics of that style lifeboat? Totally encapsulated to be seaworthy in the worst weather. It looks like a giant lozenge with only one hatch for entry/exit. You can’t see into it, so you couldn’t tell who’s who, even with infra red. I don’t think a half dozen “frogmen” are gonna pop outa the water and slit any throats. One or two would have to somehow open the hatch from outside, and either climb in and start shooting, or just open the hatch and shoot in. Neither way has much of a safety factor for the hostage. Now if you could get a flash-bang in, some time might be gained. But, again, the hatch is kinda high up on the enclosed side of the life boat. They’re gonna hear anyone coming on board.
Jeeze, can’t you just let the man eat his pizza.
According to the news, there have been no hijacked/pirated American ships in 200 years.
Private vessels are not allowed to carry arms under international law.
Law that we have signed on to.
It is also not lawful for the crew to be armed.
In addition, any country into which they sail could cause major trouble for anyone caught with arms.
The solution is to keep the small arms offloaded in a small boat just outside territorial limits, or similarly secured onboard while in port and there is no chance of piracy.
Is the law wrong? - of course it is.
and do you really want a us-owned ship crewed by saudis and yemenis sailing into an american port, armed with RPGs and AK-47s? look at how much of an uproar the dubai ports created, and that was basically nothing.
Please. That is a liberal’s response if I ever heard one.
Anybody so inclined to do this would simply do it. - Maritime laws are not going to stop even one such incident.
Criminals and terrorists don't follow the law anymore than a pirate does.
Fear not! I don't think he is in charge. I think the FBI told him to STFU and let them handle it. I think that's why he hasn't said anything.
Or like a poster on another thread said, I have 2 minds on this either he's totally clueless and inept or he's keeping his mouth shut in order to not mess up the situation any further.
I think we’d all be happy to let him eat his pizza, argula and waffles somewhere very, very far away from the whitehouse.
Maybe as third assistant to the observer of tree growth at Yellowstone NAtional Park.
To all you armchair quarterbacks, what would you do?... Blow them pirates out of the water! THEN they know, dead captain or not, no one Fs with us. Sorry, but collateral damage is necessary. Most times.
mericans I DoNT believe the crisis will end without American blood being spilled. Zero has almost sacrificed the life of AMERICANS BY BEING VERY WEAK and of course stupid..
OMG! I was hoping there was something going on behind the scenes with the FBI. That is NOT what I was hoping for.
This is 5000.00 pizza night. Don’t bother the slumdog millionaire with such trivial things. He said he doesn’t work on the weekends. That’s date night. Maybe Monday he can try to find time after the gym and breakfast which is around 11-12.
Take a deep breath. I’m not banging on you, I’ve been finding it very hard to breathe lately myself.
We are simply going to have to go through this. We are going to have to go through this and much more so that the public remembers why it’s important to have grownups in charge. We surround them, supposedly.
There is also no effective government in the UNITED STATES.
I think this is just the beginning. The idea is we’re stretched so thin that if they hit us with hostage takings all over the world, how would we be able to respond?
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.