Pirates Take German Ship Towards Comrades Off Somalia

Radionz.co.nz ^ | 11 April 2009 | Staff

[BarnacleCenturion]

Pirates on Friday sailed a hijacked German freighter and its crew toward a lifeboat off Somalia where an American hostage is being held.

They are reportedly doing so an attempt to help their comrades in a standoff with the US Navy.

Four pirates are holding the American captain of a cargo ship, Richard Phillips, in a drifting lifeboat and demanding $US2 million for his release and a guarantee of their own safety.

They have been holding him since a foiled attempt on Wednesday to hijack the 17,000-tonne, Danish-owned Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean.

A destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, is close by.

Another group that hijacked a 20,000-tonne German container vessel, the Hansa Stavanger, a week ago is reportedly heading to the scene of the standoff.

[Bobalu]

Be funny if some individual, on a small ship, loaded for bear
was to just sweep in and sink all the Somali pirate vessels.

Some old surplus deck gun would do it up fine.

Some soldier-of-fortune type rascal....a real hard-ass type.

Would be sorta funny...and very embarrassing for the Navy.

[lainie]

I just can't buy that. Guns can be locked up. Not in concealment, mind you, but in serious, locked safes. As in, they don't exist when in port. Regardless, the consequences on the high seas are worse than those in any port these guys will see.

At some point, the owners of these vessels are remiss in ignoring the safety issues of the crew members.

[lainie]

Hillary wants "an appropriate 21st century response" to pirates.

link

[mckenzie7]

How about the Navy Seals, under the cover of darkness strike? They could have the little capsule surrounded when the scum wakes in the morning.

[Prole]

My FRiend,

There is NOTHING that will convince me that a black racist-communist MUSLIM like Barack Hussein Odinga would do a damn thing to protect the life of a white, Christian, American Sailor.

Obama hates "the US of white America; the US of KKA."

He spent 20 years of his life loyally dedicated to hostile black racists, communists, criminals, terrorists and other nasty, dangerous people.

Odinga will never, EVER respect white Christians.

He and his black racist buddies hate the fact that we exist.

[Talisker]

Time to sink that lifeboat.

Exactly. Don't attack it, just have some SEALs pop a hole in it and let it sink. Everyone will be scrambling to get out, and as they do, the SEALs find the Captain and give him air, while the pirates have a bad day.

[angkor]

>>>>> I just can’t buy that. <<<<<<

It’s not a question of you “buying it”.

The entire concept of territorial waters and international waters (”the high seas”) is that each sovereign nation have sole dominion over its local waters.

Hence the laws and customs of each country apply to 12 miles from each country’s coastline.

And those laws and customs can often include prohibitive firearms laws.

Under those conditions, commercial shippers (and recreational sailors) are not going to risk the seizure of their vessel by allowing firearms on board. They never know which countries, localities, and ports do or do not allow firearms to be transported on the ship.

So until each and every country’s firearms laws are changed in each and every local shipping port around the globe, sailors will be cautious about having weapons on board.

Or by international treaty, but that’s also unlikely.

[Ben Chad]

There’s a ball in the foreground, none in the back.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

In the life raft? I can’t believe how uninformed and idiotic some FReepers can be. It isn’t a life raft. It is a standard escape boat that is on container ships. How about looking of a picture of it and seeing why it would be much harder to deal with than an open top boat.

[livius]

Has anybody even heard from the captain since his escape attempt? They fired into the water at him; I wonder if he’s even alive. Supposedly they want to get to shore to “negotiate” from there.

[LibLieSlayer]

Whatever he says... will be a lie. I understand your point... it is all for show... he is a muzzie and there is not one shred of evidence to point to otherwise.

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

islam dictates otherwise. That is ALL for public display and has been nothing more than propaganda.

LLS

[Girlene]

It seems the Somali's had a problem with navigation, and their compatriots may be wanting a quicker resolution to the hostage situation. From Reuters, Somali pirates in German ship fail to find comrades

"Pirates on a German ship with 24 foreign hostages said on Saturday they had returned to the Somali coast after failing to locate the scene of a standoff involving an American captive on a drifting lifeboat.

The pirates had hoped to use the hijacked 20,000-tonne container vessel, Hansa Stavanger, as a "shield" to reach fellow pirates holding American ship captain Richard Phillips far out in the Indian Ocean. U.S. naval ships are close to the lifeboat.

"We have come back to Haradheere coast. We could not locate the lifeboat," one pirate on the German ship, who identified himself as Suleiman, told Reuters. "We almost got lost because we could not find the bearing of the lifeboat."

The German ship was seized off south Somalia between Kenya and the Seychelles and has a crew of 24.

Somali elders and relatives of pirates holding Phillips are planning a mediation mission to secure his release, a regional maritime group said.

"They want to resolve this in the traditional Somali way of negotiations," Andrew Mwangura told Reuters. "They are just looking to arrange safe passage for the pirates, no ransom."".................

............... "Officials in Washington confirmed reinforcements were nearby. The frigate USS Halyburton, equipped with guided missiles and helicopters, and a German frigate.

The USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, was also heading for the lifeboat's general area, mainly in case its medical facilities were required."..............

[a real Sheila]

Even a REAL KATRINA won’t become Obama’s Katrina.
The press will not allow that to happen!

[1rudeboy]

This could be a good thing, we can rescue a lot more hostages all at the same time, plus claim salvage rights.

I doubt that you can claim salvage rights on a pirated vessel. Essentially, you would be "pirating" it a second time.

The ship's master never voluntarily abandoned the ship (probably didn't sign a Lloyd's form, either).

[bert]

“Brown Clown”

I LIKE IT!

Ditto

[Girlene]

Has anybody even heard from the captain since his escape attempt? They fired into the water at him; I wonder if he’s even alive. Supposedly they want to get to shore to “negotiate” from there.

From CBSnews, yesterday, High-Seas Pirate Hostage Drama Escalates

............."Phillips is now tied up and no longer able to talk on the radio - but otherwise unharmed, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. "........

..................."The Somali, who helped negotiate a ransom last year to pirates after they seized a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. He said he has talked with a pirate leader in Somalia who helped coordinate the failed effort to seize the Alabama.

He said the pirate leader had been in direct contact with the lifeboat via a satellite phone but lost contact after Phillips' captors threw the phone - and a two-way radio dropped to them by the U.S. Navy - into the ocean, fearing the Americans were somehow using the equipment to give instructions to the captain. They acted after Phillips' failed effort to escape. ".................

[Girlene]

Oh, for heaven's sake, no wonder pirate attacks are increasing if this is they way they are treated when busted. From The Niagra Falls Review, Canadian warship mollycoddling Somalia's pirates . (back up for the story here)

"The only thing odd about those Somali pirates that plunder the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea is how come they are still doing it? One would have thought they'd have been exterminated by now. But no, they're still at it. Not only that, they are alarmingly successful. [snip]

"News reports tell of a Canadian frigate's encounter with pirates -- which may help explain why these brigands of the sea not only still exist, but seem to operate with impunity when confronted by the world's navies.

Apparently last weekend, HMCS Winnipeg, a frigate and a component of NATO'S counter-piracy mission (Operation Allied Protector) spotted three small pirate skiffs closing in on an Indian merchant ship, the Pacific Opal, in the Arabian Gulf.

Instead of demanding the pirates surrender or be sunk, the Winnipeg's helicopter hovered between the pirates and the threatened vessel, and dangled a large sign over the side of the helicopter, alongside the chopper's machine gun, that had the word "Stop" written in Somali.

The news report quoted the Winnipeg's skipper, Cmdr. Craig Baines, as saying: "They got the idea that we don't like what they're doing," and the pirates called off their attack.

Surely peace, security and common sense would have been better served if the Winnipeg and its helicopter had given the crews of the three pirate skiffs a one way trip to Davey Jones' locker, and sunk them?

And then turned their attention to the pirate's mother ship, from which the three skiffs departed. At least the captain didn't apologize for interrupting their activities. "[snip]

Unbelievable!!!!!

[huldah1776]

Doesn’t matter the color of skin, here. He doesn’t take care of anyone. Did he ever do anything to help anyone? Did his community organizing ever accomplish anything? Probably had great parties.