Pirates Hijack Second US Vessel

BBC ^ | 11 April 2009 | Staff

[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

 

[BagCamAddict]

With Reagan, America had a CLEAR choice, because Reagan represented a clear DIFFERENCE from Carter. In today’s politics, we don’t often have clearly different choices on our election ballots. Often both sides have made themselves so “moderate” (so as to not offend too many people) that they are too alike. Thus, we end up with elections that are 50.5% vs. 49.5%.

I am waiting for the day when a strong LEADER appears who can garner 60% or 70% or more of the vote. Where is someone that the vast majority of Americans can get behind?

(I have often used the analogy of a sports coach... If you had a coach that only 50.5% of the team respected, that coach would be out on his a**. That’s what we have had in the Oval Office ever since Reagan, I’m sorry to say.)

[Brytani]

Has he apologized to the hostages yet?

[Let's Roll]

“...pointing a gun at someone *often* does not does not make them do what you say.”

You mean that, that sometimes you have to actually pull the trigger? Oh, no!

[BagCamAddict]

“The new administration is still defining its rationale for undertaking sensitive operations in countries where the United States is not at war.?

This infuriates me!!! The POTUS is not a work-study or learn-as-you-go position!!! The people who voted for this inexperienced imposter are idiots!! The safety and security of the United States cannot be left to a junior senator who is in awe of foreign leaders (bowing to foreign leaders like an enamored school boy)!! This is why I would have preferred Hillary ANY DAY over Bozo. At least Hillary has experience, and even SHE wouldn’t have hesitated to send in the SEALs to take care of this (quietly, and keeping it out of the MSM so she had deniability with her liberal voting base). But this administration is so hell-bent on doing everything exactly opposite of Bush that they can’t see that sometimes, no matter what political PARTY you are, sometimes there is only ONE right course of action, and it is the AMERICAN course of action - not the republican, democrat, conservative, or liberal course of action.

GRRRRRRR!!!!! Amateur in Chief!!!!

[corvus]

“...Clinton didn’t think my solution will work in the 21st century.”

Keep in mind, though, the Jefferson story wasn’t a simple one. Yes, the Bey, Dey or Pasha (of Tripoli I believe) was confronted with force, but Jefferson executed ‘plan B’ and paid tribute before his land-based force could march from Egypt, leaving them hanging. It wasn’t until the Madison administration that the US achieved some finality to the so called Barbary Pirates’ ‘reign of terror’.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Just another example of Hussein’s laughable foreign policy. Groveling.

North Korea: shoots off missile.
Iran: announces 7,000 centrifuges, flips the world the bird.
African Pirates: take America hostages.
NATO: No troops for you, BO.

Hussein is viewed, rightly so, as a wimp. Oh sure, he’ll be tough on AMERICANS, taking away their liberty and hard earned private property. But the rest of the world, not so much.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I wonder how long it will be before Hussein’s sycophants in the LameStream Media get told: ignore these pirate stories, they make the Messiah look bad. Or, if you must report them, put an angle on it that makes BUSH look to be at fault....

[Queen of Excelsior]

Excuse me but I think the correct response is:

AAARRRRRRGGGGGG matey, Amateur in Chief!!!

[Girlene]

This is a joke.........right ???

No. I thought it was a joke at first,too, but found a second source, here published on April, 6. Canadian warship thwarts suspected pirates

"A big red stop sign and the stern look of a Canadian machine gun scared off suspected pirates targeting a merchant tanker in the Arabian Sea this weekend."..........

.............."On Saturday morning, as part of Operation Allied Protector, the warship received a distress call from the Pacific Opal. The tanker captain said the ship was being tailed by three unknown skiffs - the typical practice of pirates, many of whom are former Somali fishermen. HMCS Winnipeg sent its Sea King helicopter to assess the situation, and found the skiffs closing in on the tanker, which was headed west in the Gulf of Aden to the Suez Canal.

The helicopter hovered above the boats and lowered its stop sign - written in Somali and measuring three metres by one metre - beside its machine gun. The boats came to an immediate halt, and stayed there until the Pacific Opal was a safe distance away."...........

So, they let the dudes go to hijack another boat. Didn't try to destroy the three skiffs, didn't try to find the mother ship.....nada. They held up a stop sign.

[Miss Didi]

I wonder how long it will be before Hussein’s sycophants in the LameStream Media get told: ignore these pirate stories, they make the Messiah look bad.

No worry. On Easter, Barry will attend his new church...then Monday is the egg hunt on the WH lawn followed by the arrival of the First Puppy on Tuesday. The Drive-Bys will be breathless during it all.

[Red Steel]

It’s open season on U.S. shipping. And why not? Obutt probably wants to kiss some Somali pirate ass.

[P-Marlowe]

Monday is the egg hunt on the WH lawn

With all the homo perverts being invited, I wouldn't bend over to pick up an egg.

Better bring one of these:

[Red Steel]

Can't I eat my waffle my pizza.

[Katarina]

Thank you for the informsation. There will be more of these and not a word from Obama, I guess he is hiding under his desk.

[bimboeruption]

"Right...but Barry can't -- he's busy...he's gotta go buy a dog bed and some Pup-Peroni because he's gettin' a dog on Tuesday,"

I feel sorry for the dog because he/she is only going to be a prop for nauseatingly cute photo ops in an attempt to make Barry look human.

Hopefully his/her care will be left to someone on the White House staff who likes animals.

[Candor7]

Obama will campaign his way out of this problem. ( he thinks).

The boom is about to be lowered on Obama is he does not round up EVERY pirate ship, and all the pirates on them. Reopen Guantanamo Zero, and take very last one of them.

Not holding my breath. A lot of those pirates are likely Luo,Zero's homey tribe.

[Girlene]

A little information from the AP on the growing problem. Somali pirates a far cry from buccaneers of old

"Attacks in the Gulf of Aden and along Somalia's coast have risen dramatically, from 41 in 2007 to 111 in 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Since January, pirates have staged at least 66 assaults and currently hold more than a dozen ships and more than 200 foreign crew members.

According to the House memo, pirates operating off Somalia earned $30 million in ransom through the seizure of 42 vessels in 2008. Other estimates put the figure to $80 million.

The memo cited one captured pirate as saying pirates only take 30 percent of ransoms — on average $1 million to $2 million per boat.

Twenty percent goes to group bosses, 30 percent is spent on bribing local officials, and 20 percent goes for capital investment like guns, ammunition, fuel, food, cigarettes. (Cuss said pirates were becoming more sophisticated and in the last two months have, for the first time, begun launching nighttime attacks, possibly indicating pirates have obtained night-vision goggles)."...................

............"Today, they number around 1,500, up from around 100 five to seven years ago, Mwangura said.

"They're earning a lot of money and everyone wants to join," Mwangura said. "They're getting new recruits every day.""................

........"A local elder in Gaan, Haji Muqtar Ahmed, said "being a pirate is not shame ... it is believed to be a noble profession." ".............

[popdonnelly]

Odd, these kinds of kidnappings of Americans didn’t happen when Cheney was in office.

[bergmeid]

Wouldn’t it be great if Berlusconi sent in his commandos to free his countrymen?

[tc45a]

Odd, these kinds of kidnappings of Americans didn’t happen when Cheney was in office.

No we did not. But to be fair we also had 9-11 which was not Bush's/Cheney's fault-the intelligence community dropped the ball.

I think these hijacking would have happened whoever is president. The hijackers are just becomng more brazen. I just hope obama takes care of these pest...but I'm not going to hold my breath. I can't believe thes pirates were not taken care of years ago. This has been going on way to long. I would have thought Russia would have taken care of the problem last summer.