BREAKING. US Navy Rescues Hijacked Israeli-Managed Oil Tanker and Captures Houthi Pirates

Red State ^ | 11/26/2023 | Streiff

[SeekAndFind]

A US destroyer intercepted a hijacked Israeli-managed oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden earlier today, freed the crew, and took the Houthi pirates into custody. My colleague Jeff Charles covered the piracy in this post, High Seas Drama: Another Israeli Tanker Seized by Unidentified Attackers Near Yemen.

Shortly after dawn local time, the Central Park, a small Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker managed by an Israeli company registered in London, sent a distress call saying it was being boarded by armed men. The USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was operating in the area. According to reports, the Mason directed the crew to take refuge and not turn the ship over to the pirates. The Mason is part of the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group; Pentagon Issues 'Prepare to Deploy' Orders to 2,000 US Troops – RedState.

According to Fox News's Jennifer Griffin:

The crew had locked themselves in the Citadel (safe room). A Japanese destroyer assisted the USS Mason with the interdiction. 2 Chinese  Navy warships in the area did not render assistance. The gunmen tried to beat down the door to the safe room but failed. The hijackers exited the vessel and were making their way back to the shores of Yemen when the US Navy personnel pursued and arrested them. Warning shots were fired by the U.S. Navy personnel and a U.S. helicopter gunship flew cover.

There are some interesting bits in this story. The two PLAN warships that ignored the distress call are part of a six-ship flotilla that rotates through the Persian Gulf, "The six warships are the Type 052D guided missile destroyers Zibo and Urumqi, the Type 054A guided missile frigates Jingzhou and Linyi, and the Type 903 integrated supply ships Qiandaohu and Dongpinghu." These ships seem to be part of a PLAN operation to get the Chinese Navy blue water experience and build proficiency in underway replenishment and refueling operations. The fact that they refused to acknowledge a distress call simply underscores the hostile nature of Chinese presence in any environment: political, economic, military, or academic.

The fact that the USS Mason was cleared to render aid may mark an escalation in how the Navy addresses the war by Houthi pirates on ships with any connection to Israel. The Navy has become more aggressive in engaging Houthi missiles and drones, so upping the pressure on their piracy operation would be a logical move.

[Dave W]

Your post has some excellent thoughts and I neglected to point out the sea trade/economic impact is enormous.

Yes, China is self-destructing, with the only question is how much damage they can do before that occurs.

You make great points.

[AndyJackson]

Why did they capture the pirates? The law of the sea on piracy is as old as man floating across a lake on a raft.

[AndyJackson]

I wonder how the greenie watermelon marxists are gonna like thatAnother reason to get rid of "fosil" fuels.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

Don’t let the Biden gang arrange a “prisoner trade.”

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

weak governments

Weak men have consequences.

[Paul R.]

You make great points.

But maybe I should turn spell check back on - hahaha! :-)

[Paul R.]

BTW, I believe disrupting Western economies is definitely part of Russia’s and Iran’s plan. China is harder to figure — disrupting Western economies only makes sense if they really want to get into a large scale war, but they are so dependent on their export business and energy imports that disrupting those or even large scale war seems to make little sense...

[LonePalm]

The quickest way to stop this crap is to pull into port but don't dock.

Hang the pirates from the yardarm in full view of the shore, drop their bodies in the harbor, and then leave.

Not that I think the Bidet Regime has the cojones to do this.

WWG1WGA

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)