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  • Modern Pirates

    from www.shipspotting.com

    "Pirates fire at UASC ship
    Continued social and political upheaval in Somalia is continuing to impact on the shipping industry as a United Arab Shipping-owned vessel is attacked far off the African country’s coast. The 23,800-dwt Ibn Younus (built 1977) came under fire from pirates wielding rocket grenade launchers and machine guns 180 miles off the Somali coast on Monday.

    Three men in a boat initially approached the Qatar-flagged general cargo ship and ordered it to stop. When it failed to do so the men opened machine-gun fire towards the bridge. The ship’s emergency alarm was raised and it came under rocket grenade fire which caused substantial damage to the crew’s cabins. After a chase lasting an hour the UASC vessel managed to lose the pirates with no injuries reported.

    The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has issued a warning to all vessels sailing in international waters off Somalia but not calling at the country. It has advised all such vessels to stay at least 200 nautical miles off the Somali coast due to the “violent attacks”. The Kuwaiti-owned ship was on its way from Durban to the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai. Incidents of piracy off Somalia have risen alarmingly over the past few months with an unnamed UAE-owned vessel seized 10 miles off Mogadishu last week.

    A recent report by the IMB indicated that, although piracy attacks worldwide fell by a third in the first quarter this year, Somalia and Nigeria continued to be plagued by such attacks. In April pirates in Somalia freed two vessels, one of which was hijacked six weeks previously, after ransoms were reportedly paid, while UAE-owned vessels have come in for some particularly rough treatment at Mogadishu port. The use of grenade launchers in the latest attack recalls the attack by pirates on the 9,975-gt cruise ship Seabourn Spirit (built 1989) off the Somali coast in November 2005."

  • #2
    hi there.
    There are merchant ships carrying armed private security these days, but it's legally tricky, as you can imagine, when it comes to the carriage of arms by a non-military vessel.I have been told of ships defending themselves with flares, water cannon, shotguns firing buckshot, tear gas. I have read of yachting types being urged not to offer resistance when boarded by lowlifes, given the risk of immediate death. I guess the best thing to do is stay well out of reach.
    regards
    GttC

    Comment


    • #3
      Somalia, Horn of africa, Congo Delta,Straits of Malacca. L.E. Niamh had extra deck security while in this area to combat such a risk.

      Its not news. NUMAST have been shouting about it for years.


      Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

      Comment


      • #4
        We had a couple who stayed on our marina one time that were attacked around Yemen. They put a very informative entry into our visitors log book. Must scan the pictures next time I'm home.

        I could spend hours reading the entries that we've had. The Mathew Replica of John Cabots ship and Tony Bullemor to mention but a few famous ones
        "The Question is not: how far you will take this? The Question is do you possess the constitution to go as far as is needed?"

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        • #5
          I have seen some of these pirates around Somalia. They usually have fibreglass boats with an outboard, sometimes work off land sometimes from a bigger mother ship. Local "authorities" are also sometimes involved. Arms .. RPG, dshk aks,
          A couple of good guys with a barrett would soften their cough. a few years ago afew attacked a nth Korean Trawler tahtw as raping the Somali fishing grounds, Koreans removed canvas to reveal large gun, Goodbye pirates , fishery protection force whatever,

          Comment


          • #6
            French troops seize Somali pirates after hostages are freed

            French troops seize Somali pirates after hostages are freed

            The Associated Press
            Friday, April 11, 2008
            Helicopter-borne French troops swooped on Somali pirates Friday after they released 30 hostages from a yacht, capturing 6 of the pirates and recovering sacks of money - apparently ransom paid by the yacht's owners to win the crew's release.

            Witnesses said the helicopters fired rockets at the pirates. But French officials, while confirming that troops had fired on a vehicle with pirates on board, said they had not shot at people, had not fired any missiles and had not killed anyone.

            The district commissioner of Garaad, where the attack took place, said the helicopters landed and troops jumped out to grab members of a group of 14 pirates who had just come ashore where three pickup trucks with heavy weapons were waiting.

            "Local residents came out to the see the helicopters on the ground," Commissioner Abdiaziz Olu-Yusuf Muhammad said by telephone. "The helicopters took off and fired rockets on the vehicles and the residents there, killing five local people."

            In Paris, French officials said that the operation was conducted with minimal use of force for fear of causing collateral damage.

            They said a Gazelle helicopter with a sniper on board and a Panther helicopter with three commandos on board were involved in the incident. In addition, two missile-armed Gazelle helicopters stood by in support but did not intervene.

            They said the only shot fired was by the sniper to disable the engine of a vehicle containing the pirates.

            "No shots were fired directly at the pirates," Jean-Louis Georgelin, chief of the armed forces general staff, told a news conference.

            The office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said the pirates were being held on a French Navy vessel.

            Georgelin said no public money was used to pay a ransom. But he hinted heavily that the boat's owners did hand over money, and that some of the ransom was recovered when the pirates were caught. The general said French troops had recovered "interesting bags."

            France sent an elite commando force to the East African region after pirates seized the boat, Le Ponant, in the Gulf of Aden on April 4. It carried no passengers but 30 crew members, 22 of them French.

            Georgelin said that the pirates seemed to be Somali fishermen and that there were about a dozen in total. The six captured pirates will be handed over to French judicial authorities, he said. They "gave themselves up without too much difficulty," he added.

            The French government had announced the release of the 30 hostages earlier Friday.

            Sarkozy, in a statement announcing the release, thanked the French Army and other agencies "that allowed a quick end" to the hostage-taking.

            Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos of the Philippines said in Manila that the French Foreign Ministry informed the Philippine Embassy in Paris that the hostages, including six Filipino crew members, had been taken to a French military base in Djibouti and would be flown to Paris in "two to three days."

            "All of them are safe and sound," he said, adding that the yacht also "was turned over safe."
            "We do not govern to rule, we govern to serve" Gen. Michael Collins

            Comment


            • #7
              At this moment in time their are military Naval assets from the U.S.A, France, and Germany I believe in the Somali coastal region and it has done nothing to stop these guys operating. A Barret light 50 is not much use at night-time which is often when they surround and swarm onto boats and ships.

              Another area of piracy is off the coast of Thailand and down into Indonesia, its time ships were allowed to have a full armed compliment and the right to repel borders with extreme prejudice when operating in pirate infested waters.

              Connaught Ranger

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Connaught Stranger View Post
                At this moment in time their are military Naval assets from the U.S.A, France, and Germany I believe in the Somali coastal region and it has done nothing to stop these guys operating. A Barret light 50 is not much use at night-time which is often when they surround and swarm onto boats and ships.
                Remember back in 2005 when the cruise vessel Seabourne Spirit was attacked. The ship's security officer fought back with a high pressure hose and a sonic boom!. No need for Naval assests at that incident

                It sounds like a scene from a swashbuckling Hollywood film - brave sailor fights off marauding band of pirates armed to the teeth. But for Michael Groves, it was terrifying reality.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa and it is a lot of water to patrol. The seas can also be very rough , there are also legitimate traders, Dhows,fishing boats operating. Meanwhile on land many of the pirates have links with clans and local leaders politicians so policing such an environment is very difficult.
                  There are also self appointed Govts who issue their own permist to ships, fishing boats who are then not recognised by the central Govt and visa versa, its a mess
                  Best story a few years ago was when a few boats armed with machine guns attempted to stop a north Korean Trawler. The Koreans took off a canvas cover and lo and behold had a 23mm or 37mm bang bang end of attack

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by pmtts View Post
                    Remember back in 2005 when the cruise vessel Seabourne Spirit was attacked. The ship's security officer fought back with a high pressure hose and a sonic boom!. No need for Naval assests at that incident

                    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770
                    I don't think the high pressure hose works against R.P.G.'s and Automatic weapons to well.

                    Connaught Stranger

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
                      hi there.
                      There are merchant ships carrying armed private security these days, but it's legally tricky
                      It's quite common for PNTL vessels to have onboard an armed protection team from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, formally the (U.K. Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary).

                      Now that would be interesting if the Somali or any Pirates decided to try and attack one of those vessels.

                      They are fitted with fixed naval guns!.
                      Last edited by pmtts; 12 April 2008, 10:29.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        What you need are some merchant ships modeled along the old "Q" ship idea from WW1 and WW2 seemingly unarmed merchantmen but in fact disguised heavily armed ships used to trap U-boats and raiders into coming in close, then the hidden guns would be revealed and used to sink the enemy.
                        In this case .5's and rocket launchers, for ship to boat contact and then fixed claymore mines along the rails and exposed parts of the decks, to sweep it clean if the Pirates get on board. Armored portholes and bridge glass, with a couple of Sf type teams to Repel Borders.

                        Once in International waters these ship's should be legally allowed to repeal borders by any means possible and damn the rights of the "Pirates" who value human life so cheaply.

                        Connaught Stranger.

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                        • #13
                          i like the idea CS... have you been watching the A-team recently?

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                          • #14
                            No!! the A-team is pure crap, the idea that you can fire thousands of rounds of modern ammo and not kill somebody has contributed no doubt to gun crime in the USA, also corrugated zinc sheeting is not renowned for its bullet proof abilities.

                            These Pirates do frequently kill their victims sometimes in rather gruesome manner, they are part of no official military force so the Geneva convention means nothing to them, just profit, they live outside the law so they should perish the same way.

                            Connaught Stranger

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                            • #15
                              Convoys...

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