Officials: Somali pirates seize 21 U.S. sailors

[cal04]

Source: NBC News and news services

Hijackers 'attack' ship operated by firm with links to Defense Department
Somali pirates have hijacked a cargo ship with 21 Americans onboard, officials said on Wednesday.

The 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was taken Wednesday, according to the Kenya-based diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet confirmed that a Danish-owned, U.S.-operated container ship carrying 21 Americans "came under attack" about 240 nautical miles southeast of Ayel, Somalia. She said the crew had radioed for help but the closest naval ship was about 300 nautical miles away at the time. The official was unable to confirm the name of the vessel.

Company representatives were not immediately able to confirm the hijacking.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30103371/

[cali]

1. uh oh.

I must say I really don't understand how these pirates seem to be able to take over these ships with such apparent ease.

[lamp_shade]

2. Yea.. it blows my mind. How does this happen. Were we sleeping or what?

[Turbineguy]

3. They use good business

practices. They reinvest income instead of spending it on CEO bonuses.

They are well equipped from their ransom earnings.

But they may have fucked up this time.

[14thColony]

6. Here's an exercise that might help

Go to a nearby football field with a friend and about 500 green ping pong balls, 50 red ping pong balls, and 20 blue ping pong balls. You both scatter the green balls all over the field. They're the merchant ships. Feel free to clump them here and there to simulate shipping lanes.

Now you place the 20 blue balls on the field, but in groups no smaller than 3. Those are all the NATO and non-NATO warships currently on anti-piracy duties.

Now, your friend the pirate lord places his 50 red pirate balls wherever he wants in order to maximize his chances of getting close to a green ping pong ball while keeping as far away from your 20 blue ping pong balls as possible.

In the more advanced version of the game, you can reserve your last two blue balls and only drop them once all his red balls are in play. But then his red balls can also disappear from view or can turn green at will to evade you. Plus they can roll faster than your blue balls to make a get-away.

You'll probably find the person playing the pirate has a slight advantage.

************************************
Edited to up the blue balls to 20. Of course there are way more than 50 red balls in existance at any one time, but let's not make it seem too impossible a game to win... :-)

[Blue_Tires]

15. that puts it in perspective...

but if you're a green and in a place with a lot of red activity, wouldn't you be extra alert or have some special defenses or something?

[14thColony]

18. Sure

The merchantmen post lookouts, although there aren't a lot of extra crew onboard - most have a fulltime job already. Special defenses - there are sonic anti-boarding 'weapons' that can blow out eardrums, make pirates puke, even rattle their boats. But they cost a lot of money, and for a shipper that owns more than a handful of vessels, that's a big cost.

Firearms are a much bigger problem. Some insurers forbid them as a precondition of the policy, some national maritime laws forbid them, and the ship might be banned from some ports if it's carrying weapons.

For the shippers, as for the pirates, 'it's just business.' Pirates usually don't hurt anyone - they just want the ransom with as little hassle as possible. Shippers figure the odds are so low that one of their ships will get tagged (big ocean/lots of targets) that the cost of all the extra security will probably far outweight the cost of the ransom. Plus, the insurance company will often pay the ransom while they won't pay for the security measures.

[Bacchus39]

26. I would have made the blue balls the bad ones though n/t

s

[cali]

27. yes, because Somali pirates are just damned good fellows.

dog, I hate that flavor of stupid.

[Bacchus39]

30. lets try again. the blue balls would be the pirates n/t

s

[14thColony]

16. Forgot to add...

To simulate the actual ocean area we're talking about here, imagine that the field is really 100x as wide and 1000x as long as a regular football field, but with the same number of balls in play. That STILL won't proportionally represent the true area of ocean the pirates operate in, but it's in the ballpark.

[cali]

21. thanks for the explanation.

OK, I get what you're saying, but aren't the pirates in little boats? How can they take over these big freighters?

[14thColony]

32. I know, seems like an impossibility, right?

But even the biggest merchant they've nabbed so far only had a freeboard of about 30 feet. To take down a big MV they'll often come in with two or three boats on all sides, shoot off some rounds to scare the crew below decks, then throw up the grappling hooks and away they go.

There have been instances of crew using fire hoses to blast them off the ropes, and I think one of the crew cutting the ropes, but this is dangerous and most crewmen don't get paid enough to put their lives in danger when they know if they just give up the pirates are generally going to treat them pretty well anyway.

[northzax]

51. yes, this is the forgotten point

why would the crew risk their lives to fight back? it's like working in a bank, when the guy points his gun at you and asks for money, you give it to him. a guy pulls a gun on you and asks for your wallet, what do you do? you really going to die for your wallet? are you really interested in dying for a multi-national corporation? the Somali Pirates make a habit, as a good business decision, to not kill people. if you kill people, then the next ones will fight harder, since they know they are going to die anyway. this was the same logic that used to apply to airplane hijackings. people who fought back died. those who didn't, as a general rule, may have some awful days, but they tend to live. no one will ever hijack a plane again, because now the people on board think they will die anyway, so you might as well fight.

why are we interested in asking workers to die for their employer's stuff?

[Posteritatis]

52. That's a great description of it

I'll be pointing folks to it.

[sythe200]

20. Unarmed

Merchant vessels are typically unarmed vessels that do not have ship based weapons or small arms. If a boat approaches with several men armed with RPGs and rifles, unarmed people generally don't resist very much.

[Harry Monroe]

24. We are not armed and the ocean is a HUGE place

For those who have never been on it. I am an American Merchant Marine officer by trade.

[leftynyc]

39. What should be our response?

What is the best way to handle this?

[Harry Monroe]

55. My first inclination would be for the US Navy to put a missile up their ass!!

But, knowing what's at stake, negotiations I guess. Latest reports are that the crew has regained control of the ship but one of the pirates is holding the captain hostage in a lifeboat. He's a bargaining chip and this changes the equation somewhat.

[muriel_volestrangler]

57. That still seems to be the latest (captain held hostage) - here's a link:

US crew members have recaptured their ship after it was hijacked by Somali pirates, but their captain is reportedly still being held hostage.

The Maersk Alabama was taken by the pirates about 500km (311 miles) off Somalia's coast after a lengthy battle.

The crew later fought back and retook the ship, but the captain was captured by the pirates who fled in a lifeboat, crew members have told US media.

A US warship and other vessels are speeding towards the scene.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7990896.stm

[leftynyc]

59. Your first inclination matches mine

I hope the Captain gets released soon because I don't see pretty things happening if he is not.

[Turborama]

4. Somali pirates seize ship with 21 Americans onboard

Source: Reuters

By Daniel Wallis

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali pirates seized a Danish-owned, U.S.-operated container ship on Wednesday with 21 American crew on board in the latest of a sharp rise in attacks off the Horn of Africa nation, a maritime group said.

Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said the 17,000 ton vessel was hijacked in the Indian Ocean 400 miles off the Somali capital Mogadishu.

He said all the crew were believed to be safe, and that the vessel had been tentatively identified as the Maersk Alabama.

Gunmen from Somalia seized a British-owned ship on Monday after hijacking another three vessels over the weekend.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE53721Z20090408

---

Here's a prophetic story from yesterday...

As piracy surges, U.S. warns of dangers off Somali coast

From Mike Mount
CNN Senior Pentagon Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A sudden surge of pirate attacks off the coast of eastern Somalia in recent days has prompted the U.S. military to put out a new alert to mariners, warning of increased danger in the region.

The attacks, which took place south of the area patrolled by U.S. and coalition ships, shows pirates are changing their tactics and taking advantage of tens of thousands of square miles of open water where fewer military ships patrol, according to U.S. military officials.

"They are going where we are not, they are looking for targets where there is limited coalition presence," according to a U.S. military briefing document shown to CNN.

Coalition ships mainly patrol in the busy sea lanes of the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and northern Somalia as ships come out of and head toward the mouth of the Red Sea.

"Despite increased naval presence in the region, ships and aircraft are unlikely to be close enough to provide support to vessels under attack. The scope and magnitude of the problem cannot be understated," according to a news release from the U.S. Navy.

Read More: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/07/us.pirates/index.html

[Dr.Phool]

5. The world's biggest, most expensive Navy.

Can't keep up with a bunch of third world pirates.

[MrMonk]

9. See post #6

[Mike Daniels]

17. The British Navy had a time of it as well in piracy's peak years

Regardless of your fleet's size there's only so much territory you can cover. The pirate's strategy through history has always been to go where the threat is the smallest.

The Caribbean pirates used to relocate (usually switching between the Caribbean and Atlantic seaboard) whenever the military presence at their present theater of operation became too strong for their liking.

You'll never find smart pirates willingly operating in an area where they're outnumbered in fire-power.

[Harry Monroe]

22. The Indian Ocean is a pretty large body of water to patrol

And for the record, I am a Merchant Marine officer. I'm flying out to Jeddah Saudi Arabia today as a matter of fact, to catch a ship and may have to run this gauntlet soon. Our recommendations used to be to sail at least 200 nm (nautical miles) off the coast of Somalia. This ship was seized farther offshore than that. The pirates keep going out farther and farther. Look at a map of the world and see how huge the Indian Ocean is.

For the record, I think this is the first time that they have seized an American flagged ship. What are we going to do about it?? My ship is also American flagged.

[14thColony]

34. I'll be curious to see what THEY do about it (the pirates)

They might just decide an American-flagged vessel isn't worth the potential risk and send it on its way. Or accept a token ransom as quick as they can to get rid of it.

[Renew Deal]

41. Hopefully bombs will be raining on the pirates soon

And hopefully we can get our sailors back. And hopefully we can get everyone elses while we're at it. :(

[14thColony]

43. Not going to happen

There is zero interest in a military solution to the Somali pirates.

Maersk will pay the ransom, the ship will be released, and the crew will come out fine. Raining bombs down on the situation is the one way to ensure they DON'T come out of it alive.

[Renew Deal]

40. They didn't pirate a Navy ship.

And they don't stand a chance 1 on 1 with anyones Navy. That's not what's happening here.

[Posteritatis]

54. It's impressive how many people here are assuming "American" = "military" there

I'm starting to wonder how many people sounding off on this could locate the Indian Ocean on a map, never mind understand the shipping lanes and volumes of traffic involved in it. It's kinda depressing.

[leftynyc]

47. Well, I suppose we could blow

them out of the water along with the 21 Americans. Is that what you're suggesting?

[Harry Monroe]

56. "Dr. Phool" (your username is very appropriate BTW), have you ever been on the ocean?

I have, and it is a HUGE ASS place.

[bigworld]

7. Something fishy going on

Americans do not normally man container ships. What are in these containers?

Something strange going on here

[tekisui]

8. Is that true?

Americans don't usually man cargo ships? I've never heard that, and I wouldn't have thought that to be the case. I am not saying your wrong, but do you have more info on that, or a link?

[MrMonk]

11. It's not true.

Americans do man cargo ships. They may not be exclusively manned by Americans, but there are often Americans as crew and officers. This is from my sister and b-i-l who have worked in the shipping industry.

[Bacchus39]

12. no, he's wrong n/t

[ronnie624]

61. From the article:

Douglas J. Mavrinac, the head of maritime research at investment firm Jefferies & Co., said using U.S.-fagged ships with American crews was rare because of the high costs. But they are used to carry U.S. government aid.

There are fewer than 200 U.S.-flagged vessels in international waters, said Larry Howard, chair of the Global Business and Transportation Department at SUNY Maritime College in New York.

[Mike Daniels]

19. The poster is obviously ignorant about the merchant shipping industry

Lots of Americans work in the container and cargo industry. There aren't many US owned fleets in proportion to all the merchants vessels in operation but most ships even those owned by Asian or Middle Eastern countries/companies have multi-national crews that employ Americans as crew or officers.

[Pharaoh]

10. your assuming

these are US navy sailors. The term sailor does not necessarily mean military.

[14thColony]

13. Well...

There are about 70,000 Americans and over 400 ocean-going vessels in the US Merchant Marine, of which at least 28 are container ships like this one. 70,000 American merchant marine sailors must be manning SOMETHING.

While Maersk is a Danish company, this ship was owned by the US division of the company, hence the name MV Maersk Alabama.

[Harry Monroe]

23. Jesus, but your ignorance is astounding!!

I am an American Merchant Marine officer. We have quite a few ships under the American flag, including container ships. These ships carry stuff you buy at your local Wal-Mart. How do you think foreign goods get to America, by transporter or something?? Most Americans probably never think about this when they buy their Chinese made goods there!!

[Harry Monroe]

25. I also think your user name is pretty ironic for the ignorance you show about world commerce!

It is a pretty big world and the ocean is a HUGE place. Go to your local Wal-Mart and you'll see what is in those containers!!

[pampango]

28. Food aid for Somalia and Uganda, according to the BBC.

"The BBC's Peter Greste in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, says the 17,000-tonne vessel was carrying food aid destined for Somalia and Uganda."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7989474.stm

[Posteritatis]

53. I agree; the sheer magnitude of ignorance in this post *is* strange (nt)

[pitchforksandtorches]

14. Here is why this is happening...

You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.




Flying Spaghetti Monsterism

Arrrrrgh!

May you be touched by His noodly appendag

[harun]

29. That many defense contractors onboard, had to be a weapons shipment, right?

[haele]

50. Uh, no. This was a food aid ship. There might be some security onboard

for food distribution, and of course, there's going to be logistics supervision and some legal or liasion personnel for dealing with wherever they were headed.

21 sounds about right for an aid shipment.

Haele

[ShareTheWoods]

31. Too many excuses and not enough action

After the ransom is paid to the pirate scum and their vessel is steaming away we plant a torpedo
up its stern. End of that pirate pest and repeat as needed.

[14thColony]

33. Ahhh I forgot

Generous application of firepower solves all problems.

I'm in the military and even I don't buy that.

Besides, how you imagine the pirates operate isn't even close to how they really operate. There won't be a stern to plant anything in, and even if we managed it the 3-4 guys we killed would just be the day-hire 'pirates,' not the bosses. We destroy a $50 motor on a $20 whaleboat, kill 3 guys who were just in it for a day's wages, and in an hour they're replaced.

[ShareTheWoods]

35. Still needs to be done

Pirate new-hires will go to zero as their jobs go poof. If that fails then get smart and find the bosses
and destroy their empire.

[Nihil]

36. Classic!

1) Deliver ransom.
2) Blow up boat containing (some) hijackers and the ransom.
3) If that fails then get smart ...

:rofl:

[14thColony]

37. Ironically

There was already a solution to the pirates. The 'extremist militant' Islamic Courts Union government of Somalia put the pirates out of business when they came to power; piracy violates Sharia Law.

But then we supported Ethiopia in running the ICU government out of power, and *poof* the pirates came right back.

You gotta love the Law of Unintended Consequences.

[sythe200]

45. Yes and No

While I agree that US involvement in the internal affairs of a foreign government is wrong, isn't sharia law pretty much the same as just blowing the pirates up? The articles referring to sharia law and piracy that I read say that piracy would be punished by "death or amputation". It seems that they are using fear of death to deter piracy. Thats pretty much the same goal that using warships is isn't it? So why is sharia law good, but military action is bad when the results and essentially the method are the same?

[14thColony]

49. Many reasons

First, the results will not be the same. Too few warships in too much ocean. Most pirates never see a warship. Because of this alone military force at sea won't stop them. Historically anti-piracy campaigns have only been really effective when a maritime power got pissed off enough to land marines and destroy the shore bases. Somalia's coastline is 2,500 miles long, and the pirates can shift bases easily. See 'Blackhawk Down' for why we don't want any of that again.

Second, the UIC's use of violence was seen as legitimate by Somalis. They ARE Somalis, plus they were clerics, plus they were jurists. No end of legitimacy in their use of force, and the pirates rolled over fast. We are foreigners and have no such legitimacy, and would be fought fiercly by not just the pirates, but other Somali factions who might decide to get into it.

Third, the UIC could get at the pirate bases from the land side, and since they controlled the entire country, there was nowhere for the pirates to go. Most gave up and quite piracy pretty fast because there was no other alternative.

If you want case history, the French Navy has launched at least four retribution operations against Somali pirates in the past year, one of which included attack helos and French Marines pursuing pirates well inland and destroying them. Result: a year later even more pirates than ever, and they are still happily seizing French vessels and citizens.

Might does not always make right. Usually only the right kind of might applied in the right way makes right.

[DS1]

60. Nah, Cover with with fetal blood

It'll keep the born-agains away, at any rate.

[ConcernedCanuk]

38. If the USA moved it's killing machine out of the Gulf - Carriers, destroyers, subs etc.,

.
.
.

to this haven for the pirates

Piracy would end real quick methinks -

and the Middle East might be able to relax a bit!

no? :shrug:

[Renew Deal]

42. Unfortunately, I don't think we can cover all of the territory alone.

And I don't think you can really do it by air. You need many navies to pile in and get aggressive. And further than that, you might need to get involved on the ground which no one wants to do.

[Haole Girl]

44. Hopefully, India's navy will step in again

They kicked some butt last time!

[14thColony]

48. Sorry to be the bearer of cold water

But the vessel the INS Tabar sank was later identified as a Thai trawler that the pirates had just seized. By the time the INS Tabar opened fire the pirates had already split, so the only butt that got kicked were the 15 crewmen of the fishing boat who wound up dead.

[FudaFuda]

46. Pentagon reports US crew has retaken the ship

No details. Just saw in on CNN website.

[ohio2007]

58. ship was loaded with food aid from western charities

Ship has food aid for Africa
Maersk Line Limited CEO John Reinhart said the vessel’s manifest showed it was carrying 401 containers of food aid bound for Africa from USAID, Serving God Ministries, the World Food Program and Catholic Relief

oh

those evil fundies and the butter they give to their enemies
:sarcasm:


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