Posted on 11/17/2008 2:22:32 PM PST by traumer
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Somali pirates hijacked a supertanker hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa, seizing the Saudi-owned ship loaded with crude and its 25-member crew, the U.S. Navy said Monday.
It appeared to be the largest ship ever seized by pirates.
After the brazen hijacking, the pirates on Monday sailed the Sirius Star to a Somali port that has become a haven for bandits and the ships they have seized, a Navy spokesman said.
The hijacking was among the most brazen in a surge in attacks this year by ransom-hungry Somali pirates. Attacks off the Somali coast have increased more than 75 percent this year, and even the world's largest vessels are vulnerable.
The Sirius Star, commissioned in March and owned by the Saudi oil company Aramco, is 1,080 feet long — about the length of an aircraft carrier — making it one of the largest ships to sail the seas. It can carry about 2 million barrels of oil.
Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said the pirates hijacked the ship on Saturday about 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya — the farthest out to sea Somali pirates have struck.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Sink it.
A good way to deal with Pirates is to hang them-behead them and use their heads as bow ornaments for other tankers. This is the insanity of not allowing us merchant mariners to be armed when sailing Pirate infested waters.
Things that make you go uh-oh.
I place my bets on this being nothing more than an attempt to jack up oil prices. They've learned that any threat to the oil supply results in price going up, quickly and dramatically. The break even point for oil prices to keep those bastards afloat is way, way more than the $55 we're seeing right now. It's more like $90 and they are suffering, really suffering. If it works then we're in for more disruptions, probably escalating with every one.
This is a big test. If they pull it off we fail.
Bright side is that there's simply not the demand to keep oil at $90 now. Those were the good times for the bastards and they know it.
Best response would be no response. Just let them keep the ship and the oil.
Why the hell don’t we have a submarine out there trolling for pirates. Hell - we could even use a bait ship and sink every pirate that goes for it.
Seems like good practice for our navy... and a good cause to boot.
I think Somalia has finally earned the destruction of everything capable of floating and not obviously fitted with fishing gear.....on approaching any commercial ship in the shipping lanes.
What kind of vessel are they using to hijack a supertanker? Jeeze Louise, I would think that this is a case of David versus Goliath.
Duty to cooperate in the repression of piracy
All States shall cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State.
Article101
Definition of piracy
Piracy consists of any of the following acts:
(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:
(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;
(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;
(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;
(c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b).
Article102
Piracy by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied
The acts of piracy, as defined in article 101, committed by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied and taken control of the ship or aircraft are assimilated to acts committed by a private ship or aircraft.
Article103
Definition of a pirate ship or aircraft
A ship or aircraft is considered a pirate ship or aircraft if it is intended by the persons in dominant control to be used for the purpose of committing one of the acts referred to in article 101. The same applies if the ship or aircraft has been used to commit any such act, so long as it remains under the control of the persons guilty of that act.
Article104
Retention or loss of the nationality of a pirate ship or aircraft
A ship or aircraft may retain its nationality although it has become a pirate ship or aircraft. The retention or loss of nationality is determined by the law of the State from which such nationality was derived.
Article105
Seizure of a pirate ship or aircraft
On the high seas, or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State, every State may seize a pirate ship or aircraft, or a ship or aircraft taken by piracy and under the control of pirates, and arrest the persons and seize the property on board. The courts of the State which carried out the seizure may decide upon the penalties to be imposed, and may also determine the action to be taken with regard to the ships, aircraft or property, subject to the rights of third parties acting in good faith.
Article106
Liability for seizure without adequate grounds
Where the seizure of a ship or aircraft on suspicion of piracy has been effected without adequate grounds, the State making the seizure shall be liable to the State the nationality of which is possessed by the ship or aircraft for any loss or damage caused by the seizure.
Article107
Ships and aircraft which are entitled to seize on account of piracy
A seizure on account of piracy may be carried out only by warships or military aircraft, or other ships or aircraft clearly marked and identifiable as being on government service and authorized to that effect.
The only people who need to know of how we respond are the hijackers.
Or we could simply sign a contract with the KGB to handle it for us.
Time for that port to experience a bit of
"rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air"
“Somalia has finally earned the destruction of everything capable of floating”
Hey...
If it was good enough for the Berbers, it’s good enough for the Somali’s. Where is Stephan Decatur when you need him?
Some old fashioned Q-ships would put a damper on the pirates
One of our Presidents cared so much about the Somalis
he went some way towards “nation-building”, right to the point where he decided it would be wiser to hightail it out of there, having no stomach to watch Americans watching him take any kind of responsibility for the dead soldiers dragged through the streets. Wonder what the new President will do with these new improved Somalis?
See any connection with this piracy and the advent of the Marxist/Islamist Messiah taking office? Just a coincidence?
Can’t help but thinking that months ago, I was speculating just how Obama’s possible Presidency might effect the general Jihadist lawlessness of Muslim pirates worldwide.
We may have a taste of it here.
They should re-route the super crude carrier directly from Hormuz Straight well east of Madagascar down to the Cape!
It would most likely be in waters with rougher waves discouraging dinghies' attempt to boarding!!
The longer route would only cause minimal price increase when we talk about the huge cargo!!!
I never felt I was “armed” with fires hoses tied off & squirting water off the fantail. Felt more like a tugboat salute.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
It’s a saudi ship. Let the saudis pour their own frickin’ money into getting it released.
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