Somali Pirates

why do people seem so surprised that they are ok ?

the only reason no ones doing anything about these somalian pirates is because they are treating the kidnapped pretty damn well considering the situation. currently its a much better option to leave people with the pirates than it is to risk them being killed during a rescue

must admit that i do like the russian method of 'disappearing' the pirates and denying any knowledge though :p


edit- bbc's ''couple beaten by pirates'' headline is a bit cheeky considering earlier on a statement from the couple was saying that they where treat well and with no violence after the initial kidnapping . they didnt look very beaten in any of the videos last year either
 
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Yeah, they were treated great, its so much fun being held in a tent on your own for a 100 days with guns in your face.

What I don't get is, can't the whole world, including Somalia, agree pirates kidnapping people just aren't on. have all the major nations send one half decent size control boat, on rotation, so theres a constant 10-20 boats out there circling around and simply fire on any unidentified boat when you can see weapons onboard. It would take all of 20 minutes for pirates to decide going up against small gunships is a really really bad career move.

The problem is we are just letting it happen.
 
Erm DM, IIRC the area affected is something like 1million square kilometres of ocean*, it is huge as the pirates just move when it gets too "hot" for them in one area. There are already dozens of navel vessels in the area, and thousands of ships ranging from fishing vessels (many are small) to super tankers.
Even fast ships with helicopters can take several hours to reach the point of any attack, as the pirates can be anywhere in that area.
What would be needed would be hundreds of coastguard cutters/light cruisers (or similar small, fast helicopter equipped ships) to saturate the area and be able to respond to any calls within a couple of hours maximum
IIRC we've actually got one of our minesweepers out there as part of our presence, as a ship that is small/fast enough and well equipped (helicopter) for a fast response, but not needed in more pressing matters at the moment.

We aren't just letting it happen, it's just that to effectively deal with it is extremely manpower and ship intensive, and no one has enough navel ships that can be spread out sufficiently on lone duty to cover it (most navel ships now tend to be very specialised, and required for other duties, such as protecting an aircraft carrier from missiles, mines or subs).

Possibly the best bet given the restrictions that most modern navies face in terms of available ships and manpower, would be to come to some sort of agreement with the shipping companies to put marines + equipment onto random ships passing through the area, but there may be legal problems with it.

Having said all that, it's great news that the Chandler's are free again, however as long as the ransoms do keep getting paid the pirates won't stop.


*IIRC they've attacked a ship nearly 1000 miles from Somalia.
 
drunkenmaster said:
Yeah, they were treated great, its so much fun being held in a tent on your own for a 100 days with guns in your face.

What I don't get is, can't the whole world, including Somalia, agree pirates kidnapping people just aren't on. have all the major nations send one half decent size control boat, on rotation, so theres a constant 10-20 boats out there circling around and simply fire on any unidentified boat when you can see weapons onboard. It would take all of 20 minutes for pirates to decide going up against small gunships is a really really bad career move.

The problem is we are just letting it happen.
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Completly impossible,

Firstly there are many worships in the area around somalia, and secondly there are people fishing in these waters so you cant shoot innocent people. The pirates hide weapons and if a warship/helicopter approach they can easily drop them over the side.
They attack closer to India now so again you cant shoot anyone as might be Indian fisherman and you cant prevent people leaving Somalia waters. You cant board a ship with pirates on-board as its too risky for the hostages.

The pirates are WIN WIN, they are playing a clever game and they know this.

What you say in your post is how 99% predict the solution for this problem. When in reality its much much more of a complex problem when you bring into account innocent people and the Law.
 
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Anyone have the email address of Somali pirates so i can send my CV?

Even though its gonna be split between a number of them, $1m would sort you out for a long while.....
 
A2Z said:
Anyone have the email address of Somali pirates so i can send my CV?

Even though its gonna be split between a number of them, $1m would sort you out for a long while.....
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You don't need to email them, join them. Pinch a boat, hang a skull and cross bones flag on the mast and sail round the Horn of Africa. I’m sure that they’ll consider your request.
 
It is a fantastic story to hear, my thoughts are with them and their families, who must be over the moon with the news.

ags
 
I got the impression that the $1 million ransom was paid in part by the Somali government and in part by private "investors".

Just why "investors" would be interested is beyond me. I suppose they could be wealthy Gulf Arabs who find the whole thing acutely embarrassing from a religious point of view.
 
Yeah to be fair they're probably helping to protect a shipping channel they're reliant on as well.


Well done on managing to link the fact that their religions might be the same. :rolleyes: Or if indeed there is a link - do you have a source for the fact that the private investors were rich Arabs?
 
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Greenlizard0 said:
Well done on managing to link the fact that their religions might be the same. :rolleyes: Or if indeed there is a link - do you have a source for the fact that the private investors were rich Arabs?
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Well done in managing to insinuate that I have some kind of anti-Islamic axe to grind:rolleyes:. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I have no source for the fact that the "investors" may be rich Gulf Arabs.
Notice the words "suppose" and "could". It's called speculation and there was nothing malicious in it.
 
The is no Somali government, the is a recognised one that emerged after the civil war but they have no real power or control of the country. TBH I say good on the pirates for sticking it back to the oil companies that have destroyed their country/lives. Capturing civilians is a bit of a gray area but at least they didnt hurt them, oil tankers/commercial shipping are fair game imo after this:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-...poverty-and-pollution-to-niger-delta-20090630

http://www.google.co.uk/images?um=1...lution+in+somalia&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

You cant make a living fishing in an oil slick.
 
Were they the idiots who sailed where they were told not to and were held captive for over a year and some unknown source paid their ransom ?

MW
 
ubersonic said:
The is no Somali government, the is a recognised one that emerged after the civil war but they have no real power or control of the country. TBH I say good on the pirates for sticking it back to the oil companies that have destroyed their country/lives. Capturing civilians is a bit of a gray area but at least they didnt hurt them, oil tankers/commercial shipping are fair game imo after this:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-...poverty-and-pollution-to-niger-delta-20090630

http://www.google.co.uk/images?um=1...lution+in+somalia&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

You cant make a living fishing in an oil slick.
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I don't really see how kidnapping an innocent couple on a leisure yacht sailing in the Seychelles sticks it to the oil companies - perhaps you could enlighten me?
 
ubersonic said:
The is no Somali government, the is a recognised one that emerged after the civil war but they have no real power or control of the country. TBH I say good on the pirates for sticking it back to the oil companies that have destroyed their country/lives. Capturing civilians is a bit of a gray area but at least they didnt hurt them, oil tankers/commercial shipping are fair game imo after this:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-...poverty-and-pollution-to-niger-delta-20090630

http://www.google.co.uk/images?um=1...lution+in+somalia&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

You cant make a living fishing in an oil slick.
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Ho ho ho....

Love this part particularly as it just touches on the problem in the Niger Delta

The destruction of livelihoods and the lack of accountability and redress have led people to steal oil and vandalize oil infrastructure in an attempt to gain compensation or clean-up contracts.

Armed groups are increasingly demanding greater control of resources in the region, and engage in large-scale theft of oil and the ransoming of oil workers. Government reprisals against militancy and violence frequently involve excessive force, and communities are subjected to violence and collective punishment, deepening anger and resentment.
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Most of the issue isn't the oil companies (do you really think Shell would get away with massive oil leaks and that much damage?) it's the Nigerians themselves. The Government are corrupt, the infrastructure constantly vandalised and the staff contantly abducted. It's a nasty place to work and most western oil companies won't touch it with a barge pole.

In fact the biggest environmental damage/spill is due to one major source, abandoned wells. Wells plugged and left by oil companies because they are deemed to dangerous (in the sense of abduction/damage by locals/gangs). These cleanly plugged wells were then opened up again so a few dodgy Nigerians could make some money siphoning off the oil from them, not caring if they spilled the oil all over the place and eventually jusst leaving them poring oil all over the place...;)

If oil companies were that bad you'd think there would be far more issues all over the world...

The funny thing is the oil companies are the ones that then have to go in after the mess is made and clean it all up before they can start producing again...
 
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