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Modern Day Pirates

It's something I assumed to be only from the past but as news reports recently show a massive oil tanker ship has been captured and they are ransoming it for $25million.

What I can't understand is how are these ships so easily captured and Why isn't there proper protection for the crew?

Afterall a ship carrying £66million of oil is bound to be a target for these cunning seamen.

I wouldn't mind being a Pirate if it's that easy to get on board and ransom for a whole lot of money.

Woops forgot to add a link http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/piracy
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lucid-Life wrote: »
    It's something I assumed to be only from the past but as news reports recently show a massive oil tanker ship has been captured and they are ransoming it for $25million.

    What I can't understand is how are these ships so easily captured and Why isn't there proper protection for the crew?

    Afterall a ship carrying £66million of oil is bound to be a target for these cunning seamen.

    I wouldn't mind being a Pirate if it's that easy to get on board and ransom for a whole lot of money.

    Woops forgot to add a link http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/piracy


    Its not that romantic - two got topped by the RN a few days ago and the Indian Navy have just sunk another. They also don't mind murdering crew if they get in their way. Why they're not caught is Oceans are big and navies are small.

    So all in all pretty much the same as its always been
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If Somalia was anything but the completely lawless place it is this probably wouldnt be happening.

    The reason it happens is that it works, ship owners have been paying out and those doing it havent got caught.

    The reason it has been allowed to continue is largely because until recently the world didnt give a toss about Somalia. Even the World Food Programme had to beg for months to get an escort to take food aid past their shore, now there are commercial interests on the line I expect governments will take notice.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lucid-Life wrote: »
    It's something I assumed to be only from the past but as news reports recently show a massive oil tanker ship has been captured and they are ransoming it for $25million.

    What I can't understand is how are these ships so easily captured and Why isn't there proper protection for the crew?

    Afterall a ship carrying £66million of oil is bound to be a target for these cunning seamen.

    I wouldn't mind being a Pirate if it's that easy to get on board and ransom for a whole lot of money.

    Woops forgot to add a link http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/piracy




    I'm not sure what the legal stance is on the crew of a tanker being armed, although I expect most aren't. A modern tanker may only have a crew of 20 or so, they are engineers and the like. They aren't soldiers so even if they did have guns they wouldn't be much more effective anyway and would probably end up getting shot.

    The Royal Navy does what it can, but it's standing orders are to protect British interests. Guarding the commercial shipping of another country doesn't really fit in with that, especially when the nation that owns the ship could be doing more.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    The Royal Navy does what it can, but it's standing orders are to protect British interests. Guarding the commercial shipping of another country doesn't really fit in with that, especially when the nation that owns the ship could be doing more.

    Except for oil tankers most ships arent owned by countries at all, in fact they are probably registered for tax and other reasons in fairly dodgy off shore countries such as Panama. I cant imagine those countries wanting to put together a navy.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote: »
    Except for oil tankers most ships arent owned by countries at all, in fact they are probably registered for tax and other reasons in fairly dodgy off shore countries such as Panama. I cant imagine those countries wanting to put together a navy.


    In that case it's the responsibility of the companies as well as the respective navies to improve security. I can't see how putting a few armed guards on each tanker is going to even put a blip in their profit margins.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    In that case it's the responsibility of the companies as well as the respective navies to improve security. I can't see how putting a few armed guards on each tanker is going to even put a blip in their profit margins.

    True - but it might encourage the pirates to kill everyone on board rather than ransome them.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Some good information:

    link

    which is next door to Kenya
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    True - but it might encourage the pirates to kill everyone on board rather than ransome them.


    as far as I'm aware the whole point of them doing it is for the ransom. I'd imagine it would be quite difficult for a bunch of Somalian pirates to get rid of £67 million's worth of oil. Much easier to demand a few hundred thousand for each of the hostages.

    If they know that every ship they try to take is going to become very difficult because they risk being shot, maybe they won't be so keen to try it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7743204.stm
    BBC wrote:
    Somali Islamist insurgents have begun searching for the pirates who hijacked a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker last Saturday, reports say.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    as far as I'm aware the whole point of them doing it is for the ransom. I'd imagine it would be quite difficult for a bunch of Somalian pirates to get rid of £67 million's worth of oil. Much easier to demand a few hundred thousand for each of the hostages.

    If they know that every ship they try to take is going to become very difficult because they risk being shot, maybe they won't be so keen to try it.

    Possibly, but given how cheap is in Somalia I wouldn't want to bet on it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well now its becoming a bigger problem obviously ships will begin to carry protection, through hired guns or building new ships with defences onboard.

    I doubt this all we last much longer tbh, veery rich people are losing money, if the official law enforcement dont improve the matter im sure they will!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MrG wrote: »
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7743204.stm Originally Posted by BBC
    Somali Islamist insurgents have begun searching for the pirates who hijacked a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker last Saturday, reports say.

    Of course they are, there's big money on the table.
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