Pirates seize Saudi oil carrier
posted at 9:55 am on November 18, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Piracy in the Indian Ocean just took a significant turn for the worse. A Saudi tanker holding the equivalent of 25% of the nation’s daily output got seized by pirates, presumably from Somalia, far out of the normal zone of risk. The seizure raises questions about safety, ecology, and the security of energy transport:
Pirates operating off the coast of east Africa have hijacked a Saudi supertanker fully laden with an estimated 2m barrels of oil in an attack that marks a significant escalation in the scope of banditry in the region.
The pirates, believed to be from lawless Somalia, seized control of the Sirius Star, which is owned by Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, on Saturday, 450 nautical miles south-east of the Kenyan Indian Ocean port of Mombasa.
It is estimated that the tanker was holding more than a quarter of the daily exports from Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter. The oil would have been worth about $100m (€79m, £66.5m) at Monday’s market price but is probably of little interest to the pirates.
The Financial Times speculates that the pirates will demand a ransom, the usual end result of piracy in the region. They may have a difficult time getting to the cash, however. The pirates usually seize cargo ships and not tankers, which are more difficult to captain and cannot use the normal docks frequented by the pirates. The tankers ride low in the water, and the danger of grounding is very real, especially for inexperienced pilots. The ecological destruction could surpass that of the Exxon Valdez, which had about half of the capacity of the Sirius Star.
That assumes, of course, that these pirates want this tanker for ransom. It seems strange that the same pirates that target food aid closer to shore would go this far out of their way for an oil tanker. The value is much higher, of course — one expert says they “hit the jackpot” — but crew safety rather than cargo value is the main driver for ransoms. They’d probably get the same amount of money, while taking a much higher risk with a ship they can’t maneuver as well. Does that make any sense?
So for what other purpose could pirates use a massive oil tanker? They could have seized it as a terror weapon. Sailed into a harbor and detonated, a tanker this size could do massive damage, especially to an oil-exporting port — and it could send shock waves throughout the energy industry for months, if not years. Just sinking it could block exports for weeks while salvage crews cleared the wreckage.
Hopefully, the US Navy or other forces can intercept the Sirius Star before the pirates attempt to navigate it anywhere close to a port and negotiate for the release of the crew and the ship. With rumblings of al-Qaeda plots coming from Yemen, this particular act of piracy bears close watch.
Update: I should have made this more clear in the initial post. The crude on board won’t explode — it has to be refined to make it flammable enough for that kind of power. However, the pirates/terrorists could load it up with enough explosives to create havoc when it sails into a port, blocking access and damaging the facilities badly enough to make them unusable. If they had that kind of operation planned, they would have brought enough explosives on board during the seizure of the ship to make it work. Plus, the tanker itself would have fuel to use in that capacity as well.
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All the more reasons to drill and use our own oil, 100%.
Kokonut on November 18, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Perhaps it is 25% of imports?
Count to 10 on November 18, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Uh, why correct somthing he did not say?
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Allah correctly pointed out that the tanker represents 25% of Saudi’s daily output.
Vashta.Nerada on November 18, 2008 at 11:22 AM
…or maybe I need to reread the article…
Count to 10 on November 18, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Ed, thanks for posting this news item.
AubieJon on November 18, 2008 at 11:24 AM
What the hell is this the United Federation of Pirates out there? Sounds terroristic to me.
johnnyU on November 18, 2008 at 11:25 AM
Danish oil ship briefly seized off Nigeria
Hong Kong grain ship hijacked by pirates
Brat on November 18, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Allah I was thinking about this update. The diesel is hard to get to on these tankers. BUT you can go full speed and.. well… cause a collision.
Wouldn’t that be interesting.
upinak on November 18, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Opps I meant Ed. Sorry.. still early here.
upinak on November 18, 2008 at 11:32 AM
How does this oil ship seizure create the “gird your Loins” situation? setting fire to the ship seems difficult based on previous posts, so the oil slick possibility is the one that would create the most havoc, right? which port is closest to them at this time?
kelley in virginia on November 18, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Drill here, drill now, shoot pirates. And build a nuclear reactor wherever there there’s currently a Starbucks.
VastRightWingConspirator on November 18, 2008 at 11:47 AM
These are genius policies and absolutely necessary.
I was opposed to Paul’s foreign policies during most of the primaries but I am smart enough to admit when I was wrong and switch to the right positions..unlike some people..
The fact is Zbignew Brezinsky and his leftist allies in the intelligence agencies are responsible for the election of President Hussein Osama.
Do you still not think the leftist and corrupt CIA and NSA should be eliminated?
Want to know who else is a CIA agent? Markos from the dailyKos!
What happened is the neocons switched parties to cover their tracks and pacify the masses(yes even the muslim masses that they control via the NWO Saudi’s). The fact is the Saudi princes who control islam do not believe in islam…they believe in hedonism and power. They go out drinking, doing drugs and buying prostitutes all week and then stand in front of their people and say “No I never drink..drinking is forbidden I am devout muslim”. Then they get on the loud spoeaker five times a day and 1 billion muslims face east and bow to mecca…
Don’t worry..you neocons are going to very happy with an Ubama presidency.
Don’t be surprised when you see during the next primary, the republicans nominate some lame duck neocon RINO who even if he wins you will think is a disaster..all the while you sit there wondering what happened again.
The fact is America is no longer the country it was founded to be and there is no real democracy.
This country is finished.
It’s dead.
The only solution now is secession.
SaintOlaf on November 18, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Cripes, another case of government(s) intervention/non-intervention making crap worse.
The ships can’t defend themselves plus international laws covering shipping are laughable and covered in red tape.
So, how did negotiating with these pirates in the past work out?
A perfect example of how useless the UN and nearly every other international organization is. Let the companies protect their own assets and let the toothless diplomats focus on cocktail parties.
$100m in oil, and they can’t protect their own assets with defensive weapons, armed guards, hell even some attack choppers…
For crying out loud, a liquor store owner with a pistol under his counter is better protected.
reaganaut on November 18, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Let’s leave our way of life, economy, mobility, mass transportation, electricity, heat, cool, lights, etc to the terrorists AND pirates. Why would we want to tap the energy resources IN OUR OWN F*CKING COUNTRY!???!!!?
marklmail on November 18, 2008 at 11:50 AM
I would think whoever bought the oil from the Saudis (someone said it was the US), should have some defenders on board. Or, the buyer of the oil would make the seller of the oil defend it (thru the contract for sale).
And come on–would you really sail around in pirate-infested waters without a weapon?
kelley in virginia on November 18, 2008 at 11:53 AM
and to Reaganaut: the fact that the UN is useless is the 1st Restatement of the Obvious.
kelley in virginia on November 18, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Guess we all should inflate our tires and get tuneups..
What I would like to see is the return of Q-Ships.. I’m not ashamed to admit that the thought of the following gives me a warm fuzzy feeling:
A bunch of pirates approach what they thing is an easy prize. Meanwhile, on the bridge of the ship the captain activates the tracking radar. Target info is fed into the 3 CWIS units concealed in the on deck containers.
The pirates shoulder their RPGs. Suddenly the sides of three of the deck containers drop exposing the R2D2 like CWISs. The last thing the pirates hear is an omnious buzzing sound as 12000 rounds per minute of DU, Tracer and HE 20mm tear into their vessels.
Seconds later all that is left of the pirates is a warm red froth on the water.
Repeat as necessary
/fantasy
bullseye on November 18, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Well one difference is that in the scenario I’m talking about is in an enclosed space which would allow volatile compounds to accumulate.(As opposed to a slick on the open sea where any such compounds would basically drift away after disolving in the air.) Apparently tankers do use a system to put inert gas in this air space to prevent this accumulation. (Admittedly I read this on the wiki so large grain of salt of course.) Still no idea how long this would actually take since even with that system engineers might only be trying to prevent an issue that would only arise after weeks at sea.
Dave_d on November 18, 2008 at 12:10 PM
I would like to see a video of pirates storming an oil tanker. Wouldn’t the crew have to sleeping and devoid of tweezers to repel an attack?
craig on November 18, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Back to the WW2 , run convoys around the pirates.
the_nile on November 18, 2008 at 12:17 PM
The solution to dealing with these pirates is pretty straight-forward: Find their allies, families and villages and lay them to waste. Brutal, but necessary.
progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 12:21 PM
SaintOlaf on November 18, 2008 at 11:48 AM
the idiot, who lied throughout the campaign and promised things he could not deliver on, wanted to signficantly reduce our Military size and bring home the Navy. Who protect these shipping routes and have kept alot more of this from happening. Paul is no better than the far-left lunatics(his allies as a Rothbardian) like CHomsky and company. absolute morons. He thinks that all we have to do is “trade with all nations” and the goods will just magically show up and be delivered on time with no questions asked. That is a naive fool, the founders never, ever, did the things he proposes. They actually did quite the opposite.
jp on November 18, 2008 at 12:21 PM
You know I get a kick watching fools like you make a fool of themselves.
Here is Allah’s quote.
You don’t mind if I use one of your quotes do you?
Now go hide under a rock…
right2bright on November 18, 2008 at 12:21 PM
I think international law dictates they can’t be armed on board, so probably any group of pirates would be successfull as long as they had guns.
jp on November 18, 2008 at 12:22 PM
This is also important, because India is about to open the worlds largest Oil Refinary finally, and they plan to refine Oil and ship the Gasoline to the US. We don’t just import Oil now, we also import Gasoline b/c we can’t refine everything we need any longer.
jp on November 18, 2008 at 12:23 PM
Dave, it is very unlikely they have the resources to take 1/3rd to half od the oil out of the tanker to even come up with that. Yes, you are right it can create gases while in the tanker. But they have a way of releasing it into the open air via ducts, air exchange and a few other things. but it isn’t enough to do damage. Even if you could do what you were saying they would have to add items to the oil to make it more “caustic”, even with half a tanker full. Also the gas, depends on the type of oil.. more sulfuric causes that more then others. And it would take a while for it to happen… a month for the gas to expand in the tanker even at 3/4ths full.
upinak on November 18, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Ed not Allah.
upinak on November 18, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Why can’t the Saudi’s(lightbulb) protect their OWN ships from pirates?
We don’t pay them until it arrives anyway.
Yes I know about the Barbary wars when we crushed the muslim pirates, but that doesn’t mean we have to police the whole world.
SaintOlaf on November 18, 2008 at 12:27 PM
There’s a couple of important points here no one has mentioned.
U.S. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney the Commander of NATO’s Combined Maritime Forces has basically blamed this attack on the owner’s of the ship.
In August NATO set up a protected narrow corridor through the Gulf of Eden and recommended all merchant ships stay inside. I don’t know where the information weapons are forbidden on merchant ships is coming from but NATO also recommended all merchant ships sailing through this region be prepared to defend themselves, preferably by hiring armed security teams.
The Sirius Star was sailing outside the protected corridor and had failed to hire an onboard security team or take any defensive preparations.
JaHerer22 on November 18, 2008 at 12:32 PM
A stable world where trade can flow is more in our interest than anyone else’s.
As to the gulf oil fields, we will have to take them back from the arabs/persians (who stole them in the nationalization waves of the 50’s/60’s) at some point, since the politcal power and wealth that comes from those fields is what fuels the fight against the West, and us, specifically. Further, we (and the rest of teh world) are dependent on the safety of those fields and the arabs/persians cannot be trusted with securing the fields they control, themselves. Saddam Hussein showed everyone what the arabs think of oil when he intentionally dumped 40,000,000 barrels of oil into the gulf and lit just about every oil well in Kuwait on fire – all while retreating in one of the most humiliating military defeats in all of recorded history. That was a wake-up call to the West, that many have not even heeded to this day.
The start and end of the arab/persian/muslim war against the West is found in the control of the gulf oil fields.
progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Hmmm. Something fishy here. The Somali pirates have NEVER operated this far from their home ports before and yet they track this thing hundreds of miles off the coast and mount a logistically difficult operation to seize it. This is not their normal M.O. ! . So they seize the ship and for the first time in weeks the price of crude stops falling and starts to rise. If I was Iran or Saudi or any other oil-financed terrorist-supporting state and I saw my most important asset (read ONLY asset) declining in value then I’d want to do something about it. This goes far, far deeper than a bunch of Somali pirates getting lucky – this is a terrorist op to help the countries that finance them.
Son of Albion on November 18, 2008 at 12:35 PM
makes sense.
johnnyU on November 18, 2008 at 12:37 PM
All the more reason to withdraw from the various conventions and say that we won’t buy oil on tankers that don’t have at least rudimentary self-defense capabilities. A large part of England’s Royal Navy under Good Queen Bess was private: ships that carried high-valued cargoes and were so heavily armed that they could stand in the line of battle.
Also, the time has come to tell the UN to move their headquarters to Somalia before they issue any more condemnations of our military actions.
And to track the pirates back to their towns, to declare them war criminals for quartering themselves among human shields, and to test a few MOABs or their successors low over those towns.
njcommuter on November 18, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Make their oil nearly worthless.
Go energy independent!
Coal to oil – Bio-Fuels – Electric cars – Nat Gas – Hydrogen,everything..
Can you explain why that hasn’t happened yet?
I can. Corrupt leaders are making more money this way.
SaintOlaf on November 18, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Not in the Olaf brigade…
But why is this our problem?
Its not a US ship. Its not in US waters. I don’t think there are even any US citizens involved…
Even if it was oil going to America, it is not US oil until it is delivered, and I’m sure its insured.
Under international Law, we have no dog in this hunt… and the best thing we could do is just stay out of it. Our economy is hurting, and we’re still supposed to play Police for the entire world?
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 12:45 PM
I just dont understand this ongoing piracy situation… how a couple of guys in a speedboat can commandeer all of these ships. Dont these ships (loaded with millions of dollars worth of cargo) carry any kind of security personnel or weaponry?
gxpgxp on November 18, 2008 at 12:47 PM
What a smarter way to snag oil destined for us, instead of trying to take the country its made in, just intercept the finished product out in open sea. I think we’ll find there’s more to this, provided we get a media outlet that can get their head out of their *ss long enough to report a real story. We need a new news network to surface.
yeah, and get the independence effort going. Lets make it so there won’t be a ship full of oil to begin with. I’m all for firing every damn elected person out there and starting clean.
johnnyU on November 18, 2008 at 12:48 PM
If we need oil for industry, we have Oil Shale and offshore oil.
We could EASILY move to Compressed Natural Gas for transportation… somthing of which we have an abundant supply.
Why are we even messing around with the Middle East?
If Europe want to tie their economy to the mid east, thats their problem… we need to become independent… and discontinue the NeoCon idea of trying to change the world…
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Not nearly as much as the left cutting off every possible avenue of energy production. Blame the idiot public for being convinced by brainiacs like the traitor, Jane Fonda, that nuke power is evil. The fact that we haven’t built a nuke plant in decades says it all.
But, we have a country that just voted someone into office who wants to bankrupt our coal industry and squeeze every penny out of consumers trying to just light their houses, while wasting untold sums of money on government deciding research and industry. If we had morons like this in the late 19th century, they would have had the government spend untold sums outfitting the US with a full-fledged direct current based grid, which would have severely restricted our growth and caused all sorts of other problems. Great.
There’s not much that can help a situation like the one we have now. People are demanding stupidity and expensive government stupidity, at that.
progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Why do think the left cuts off those programs…because of the oil lobbyists or because their desire to “save the world from global warming” with a global tax?
No. Global warming is just a big scam also.
SaintOlaf on November 18, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Oil is the lifeblood of the civilized world. That’s just how it is. It will remain a source of power for a long time into the future, with or without US oil independence (though we should be building nukes like crazy and getting away from all foreign oil as much as possible – though the bulk of our oil imports come from Canada and Mexico).
The war against us will continue to be fueled and protected by whomever controls the gulf fields. Make of that what you will, but to me it is a clear signal that that control cannot be allowed to remain with the arabs/persians – who stole the fields in the first place.
progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Actualy, thinking on it…
I’d change American Foreign policy to help out our own Maritime industry.
Today, we don’t have any American Flaged Merchants, because of our own Tax structure…
I’d let the world know that we will protect US Flaged ships… as those are the ships that pay TAXES towards supporting the Navy, which keeps the sea lanes open.
Martime industry has had a free ride for too long… I mean… when LIBERIA has one of the largest Merchant Fleets in the world???
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 1:01 PM
naive, romeo. the price of oil doesn’t care about who is responsible but whether there is certainty about the reliability of supply.
we don’t police the world, because we think it’s cool. we do it because it threatens to come unhinged at every moment, especially without a countervailing force like the US Navy/military. The UN is not a force to be reckoned with and NATO is largely a US-centric alliance. Face reality, we are the most powerful country in the world. I know that’s hard to believe, since we are taught what a piece of garbage this country is.
anti-boomer on November 18, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Yes, I know. But the crux of the problem is that the left likes to restrict production because the left is, essentially, nihilistic and hates humanity in general. To much of the left, the only “evil” species on Earth is Homo Sapien. It is not oil lobbyists who make the left hate humanity and it is not oil lobbyists who convince people that the spotted owl is a species integral to the continued existence of our planet.
progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 1:05 PM
This delves much further into the realm of conspiracy theory than I like to go, but:
Oil is currently at a price so low that these oil dictatorships can’t sustain their rule with the money they’re making. They threatened to cut production and no one cared. What if shipping oil suddenly becomes more dangerous and, therefore, more costly? Pirates (that haven’t operated in this area before) suddenly start seizing large oil tankers and holding them hostage. Production gets cut not because they’re strong arming us but simply because their oil keeps getting stolen.
Once prices are driven up to their liking again, the pirates go back to business as usual.
JadeNYU on November 18, 2008 at 1:05 PM
ENERGY is the lifeblood of the civilized world… oil was just the cheapest way to transport that energy to needed users…
Now however, we are seeing the other costs of that industry…
So don’t change the players… change the GAME. Go to Compressed Natural Gas for transportation, and we can divorce North America from the entire Middle East mess (expcept for Israel).
Now, can we do that politicaly in America? That a different arguement… but if we don’t even LOOK at alternate solutions… if we don’t even try to make those arguements… then we’ve already lost.
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 1:06 PM
dude, just to let you know… US NAVY RETIRED.
Our allies Navys are a shadow of what they once were, because we have shouldered the entire burden. The only Navy really expanding right now is the Chinese Navy… and its not a Blue Water Navy… it can’t project power.
We can’t be everywhere at once… we can’t protect everyone, and we should stop trying. IMO unless its American Flaged? or in US territorial waters? It aint our problem.
Why should a single American Sailor put his life in danger, so a Saudi Sheik can make a few million dollars? (especialy when most of the 9/11 guys came from Saudi?).
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 1:14 PM
that the somalis are venturing so far from shore is perhaps only an indication of megalomaniacal tendencies among the pirates. we have the same issue with the sandpeople, who grew more wealthy and grew tired of suicide bombings. Their imaginations are well fed. Just hope the pirates do not become as well-funded as the terrorists.
That they don’t know what to do with the tanker, is only proof that they are small timers.
anti-boomer on November 18, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Saudis are already in “contact” with the Pirates… negotiations have started.
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 1:17 PM
I’m all for pushing natural gas, but I don’t think the switchover is as easy or cheap as you claim. That said, I am basically with you on the natural gas issue. I still think that nukes are the best bet for general electricity generation (and the one that been most restricted by idiotic governmental policies meant to do nothing but kill that industry). McCain’s stance on building nuke plants was the only thing that allowed me to listen to his drivel about global warming/environmentalism without puking and throwing my TV out the window.
I’m with you. Unfortunately, America has just chosen the guy who is dependending on unicorns to supply some 70% of our electricity within 10 years – or whatever BHO’s infantile and idiotic ‘plan’ was – and is out to bankrupt everyone into being an environmentalist. That’s what the people want, though. G-d help us all.
progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 1:17 PM
we do it not in national interest or interest in property.
we do it for a greater good, global stability. strategically, i agree with you, we should save our greenbacks and let the world tear itself apart. we could make a lot of money selling arms and munitions. unless we are willing to go that route, your suggestion is naive.
anti-boomer on November 18, 2008 at 1:18 PM
Is it possible that the Saudis planned this?? Considering their fear of falling crude prices, perhaps they planned this event to stabilize prices. Ya never know with them people.
Rich on November 18, 2008 at 1:20 PM
you mean sandpeople? racist.
anti-boomer on November 18, 2008 at 1:21 PM
We are already there. and to answer lodge, freedom of the seas is our responsibility if we want to remain the most powerful nation in the world, if you would rather become the next Britain and let China and Russia take this onerous responsibility off our hands you can do it when this sailor is cold and dead in a box.
Squid Shark on November 18, 2008 at 1:25 PM
There are currently cars in Europe, with both CNG and regualr gas tanks… and they can switch at the flip of a switch.
Technology is there, and the last estimate I saw said it could be done (in the design phase) for as little as $400 a car. Conversions cost 2-8K each, depending on model… but the current prices of CNG it equates to about $1.50 for the same energy as a gallon of gasoline.
Whats needed is to make enough cars our there using CNG so that Gas Stations will put in CNG pumps… or create new CNG gas stations.
Then DRILL DRILL DRILL… Heck, use Government money in LOANS to fund the dang thing…
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 1:27 PM
No No progressive. You forget. Methane storage tanks on a Cow.. so it is actually cow farts and a dream!
upinak on November 18, 2008 at 1:27 PM
no, seriously, very good suggestion. they tried cutting production, and it didn’t help their situation. the oil producers are hurting in a big way. let them eat cake! let them stage a piracy or two! pretty pathetic attempt to scare the market.
anti-boomer on November 18, 2008 at 1:29 PM
Yes, and we’ve been thanked so much for that over the last 40 years…
Please explain to me, because I’m soooo Naive… where in the Constitution it says we use the Navy for the greater good or global stability???
Or, where we would even have the legal authority, under international law, to get involved in this situation?
Once again, its NOT a US ship. Its NOT in US waters. We did NOT catch them in the act (so no active pursuit premise).
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 1:32 PM
fake piracy is a defibrillator for slumping oil prices. you’ve got to love the economic theater, though. very entertaining, i do wish we had some video of the hostile takeover!
anti-boomer on November 18, 2008 at 1:32 PM
i’m with you, pull out and reopen some gun/munitions factories. and, we could retool gm from making electric wussie cars to tanks!
much more interesting world that would be. All I’m interested in hegemony over the western hemisphere. we must control venezuela and cuba.
anti-boomer on November 18, 2008 at 1:36 PM
Has anyone looked at who T. Boone Pickens has written checks to lately? Seems like his CNG and wind
folliesprojects only make sense if oil prices are sky high…/sarc
in_awe on November 18, 2008 at 1:39 PM
CNG is still doable… wind power was just silly…
Pickens was half right… but even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 1:43 PM
This is the cost I was referring to. I don’t know the magnitude of building this infrastructure, though I would think that individual states would be the first to move on this (offering state tax incentives, say). I’m big into states experimenting rather than having a heavy hand of the feds declaring something that binds everyone without knowing how it will all really turn out.
Yep. I’m a drill everywhere person. Even if we have no intention of drilling everywhere, that should be our public stance, to let the rest of the world know that we’re serious. Like I said, unfortunately, the election just gave the world the exact opposite impression.
Then we’ll be treated to PETA and global warming nutcase protests about us turning cows into ‘global warming machines’ :)
progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 1:44 PM
Ditto all around.
johnnyU on November 18, 2008 at 1:44 PM
Another thing to consider… is that funding this infrastructure through federal loans will actualy CREATE wealth…
We’ll be using our own resources, and creating new technology which we could then export…
I’d much rather be doing somthing that actualy creates somthing than funding a bunch of banks who do nothing more than move money from one pocket, to another. Much better societal return on the investment.
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 2:05 PM
I still don’t get how they can take over a tanker with speed boats.
- The Cat
MirCat on November 18, 2008 at 2:24 PM
The problem is that the speedboats can maneuver much better than a tanker.
Johan Klaus on November 18, 2008 at 2:41 PM
“You are the worst pirates I’ve ever heard of.”
Sefton on November 18, 2008 at 2:44 PM
I am not surprised.
To us they might be pirates-to Obama and the Democrats they are just “activists”.
These “pirates” know that one of their own will soon be in the White House and they fully expect him to do absolutely nothing to them. Obama and the Democrats are BFF’s with terrorists and other “activists” around the world.
Nahanni on November 18, 2008 at 3:03 PM
I thought they only swiped rum.
Chuck Schick on November 18, 2008 at 3:20 PM
Dang, so what does a Moslem Pirate drink?
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Rules frustrate anti-piracy efforts
LarryD on November 18, 2008 at 3:37 PM
Well, since we want to buy the oil, it is our problem.
What we can do is chuck the gun-control-on-the-seas conventions and the idea that the uncivilized have the same rights as the civilized. (Those rights are protected by civilization, not by barbarism. Live and die by the laws you choose.) We won’t get every pirate, but when we do get them, kill them. Kill those that support them, flatten the towns that shelter them, and hunt to the death the warlords, gangsters, and terrorists that share their take.
Refuse to pay a cent of ransom, ever, unless it can be shown that the ship put up a fight.
Because civilization needs freedom of the seas, and it will be very hard for America to stand alone without free oceans surrounding it. Because the further we keep the barbarians away, the fewer their numbers, and the less their power, so less the danger we will face now and in the future.
We-the-civilized-world have let this get out of hand. It will get worse until it is stopped or beaten back by force. (Or until a new Black Death reduces the world population by 25%–but that rain raineth upon the just and the unjust alike, and most unjustly.)
njcommuter on November 18, 2008 at 3:41 PM
OK, they got the tanker. Now what are they going to do with it? Their days should be numbered.
SC.Charlie on November 18, 2008 at 4:12 PM
Your problem lies in two places…
One, under international law, and common business practices… ship’s cannot defend themselves, AND, insurance companies do not want them to.
If crewmen are killed during Piracy, you can bet that the ship owners will be sued… and it will cost much more than the ransom the Somali Pirates are asking for…. this is the same meme as American businesses have with shoplifters, don’t even try to catch them, its just part of the cost of doing business.
Secundus: We seem to be the only ones in the “Civilized World” who are willing to combat this. International LAW is what is holding us up… and other countys won’t even put enough resources into fighting it to build their own ships…
So, why in the world is it OUR burden, and ONLY our burden?
We are hated throughout the world because we tend to intervene too much… well, its time to draw back and let them fix their own problems.
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 4:19 PM
First negotiate for more assistance from the various nations who have had or fear their ships may be hijacked. Second, make it a free training zone for SBS,SAS & Delta.
In light of the new era of peace and love, kindly ask the surviving perps to tea and ask if they could be inconvinienced to answer a few questions, with the assistance of free legal council (of course).
moxie_neanderthal on November 18, 2008 at 4:19 PM
Great, the Pirates can finally buy some decent players!
Oh, this wasn’t my Pittsburgh Pirates.
Never mind.
NoDonkey on November 18, 2008 at 4:32 PM
The task force in the Horn Of Africe is very multi-national. We have more ships in it because we have the largest national navy in the world by a large factor.
Squid Shark on November 18, 2008 at 5:12 PM
While everyone was watching something else Somalia has for all intents and purposes, fallen back into Jihadists hands. This is an easy way to reward and infuse cash under the guise of paying a ransom. Thus the Princes of Saudi Arabia invest as much jihad money as they want to in Africa and it all looks like something else.
BL@KBIRD on November 18, 2008 at 5:21 PM
and just where are the press reports of that task force doing anything?
/crickets
Oh, wait, there is one press report of US ships sitting off a Merchant ship with RUSSIAN tanks on it…
Last time I checked the three largest Merchant Marines were Greek, Liberian, and Panama’s…. all with such LARGE Navys to protect them… so, just what does those country do to help us patrol the seas, and keep THEIR ships safe?
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 5:22 PM
“But you HAVE heard of me, have ya?” Quote from Jack Sparrow, Pirates Of The Caribbean
ProudPalinFan on November 18, 2008 at 5:40 PM
ROFLMAO!!! Pathetic huh?
ProudPalinFan on November 18, 2008 at 5:41 PM
Request from the pirates on board…
“We ask in return of this ship, that the United States bails out Somalia”.—> In 3, 2, 1…
ProudPalinFan on November 18, 2008 at 5:42 PM
ALLCON,
Every one who has posted needs to CC the comments to the media and use the NRA website to bury the congress in your thoughts.Otherwise you are talking to the choir/faithful. Talk the talk and walk the walk. BS and ideas only matter when you bury the idiots web system. Overwhelming word power is equal TO OVERWHELMING FIREPOWER.
J.Wm.
http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/
Col.John Wm. Reed on November 18, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Wonder how president-elect Obama will deal with these buggers when he takes office?
Achilles on November 18, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Tea and biscuits on the deck of the latest pirated ship – after which he’ll give the
piratesseaborne community organizers some of our ships … spread the wealth and all.progressoverpeace on November 18, 2008 at 6:09 PM
I think we need to green light an amphibious assault on Eyl. We do have all those Marines in the Horn of Africa…
And what better start for the new AFRICOM?
m064404 on November 18, 2008 at 6:41 PM
Where and what is the Saudi navy doing about these thugs?
SC.Charlie on November 18, 2008 at 6:47 PM
the update is kind of dumb.
First the fuel used in these tankers is far heavier than the crude it carries. It uses 380 CST fuel oil with requires a temperature of say around 130 degrees F just to flow as a syrup. It looks like black wax shoe polish at room temperature.
Second, crude oil gives off gases like natural gas. Thus the gases can explode and Saudi crudes are light crudes especially “Saudi Light”. On oil tankers, it is only permissable to use intrinsically safe electrical and electronic items on deck. Thus even cameras are not allowed as well as cell phones and regular homeowner flashlights, due chance of igniting an explosion.
So the Update must have been concocted by someone ignorant of the carriage of crude oil.
Kermit on November 18, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Time for the mighty Saudi Navy flush with petro cash to take command. Maybe the glorious Somali government can come rushing to the rescue.
I hope they’re not waiting for a high seas bailout from Uncle Sam.
To the shores of Tripoli baby.
Mojave Mark on November 18, 2008 at 7:16 PM
The mighty Somolian surface fleet(skow-buckets!),
have taken Chinese,Russian,and Iranian ships,
The Pirates are DEAD!
canopfor on November 18, 2008 at 7:37 PM
This works.
This does not work.
The USA, at this time, has not signed the Law of the SEA Convention.
jellybelly on November 18, 2008 at 7:46 PM
Good security, O Saudi schmucks.
Inshallah?
profitsbeard on November 18, 2008 at 7:58 PM
Nope, its even worse, we have to follow US Civil law.
With the last Supreme Court ruling saying that the Military must give full US Civil Rights unless someone is declared a formal Prisoner of War, a Pirate could not even be boarded without probable cause, and a warrant, UNLESS they were caught in the act.
As this is NOT a US flag ship, and not in US waters, our hands are legaly tied.
Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 8:01 PM
“As this is NOT a US flag ship, and not in US waters, our hands are legaly tied.” – Romeo13 on November 18, 2008 at 8:01 PM
So I guess that we wait until this floating disaster waiting to happen should just be allowed to happen? Someone surely knows where these pirates call home ………….. how about a few stray cruise missiles out of nowhere happen to land there….or, just near there.
SC.Charlie on November 18, 2008 at 8:25 PM
We need to drill in this country and do it now. Oil and gas. Sure, we can do nuclear, hydro, wind, solar. Do it all and do it now. Now someone explain why this ISN’T an energy plan?
The US needs to be involved in this whole pirate deal. The US as well all other countries that runs ships through that area. Obviously the cargo ships need to have agile and agressive combat boats surrounding them while they sail. There needs to be notice sent to the pirates and the Somalis – “If you even look in the direction of this ship, we’re going to shoot to kill. No exceptions.” They’ll learn or die.
Oink on November 18, 2008 at 8:59 PM
We would be there protecting the economic interests of the US not because the ship sailed an American Flag.
Oink on November 18, 2008 at 9:01 PM
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