A Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and military supplies has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
A US navy destroyer, from the Gulf-based 5th Fleet, was within sight of the MV Faina and its 21 crew members taken last week en route to Kenya’s Mombasa port.
The pirates are demanding $20 million ransom for the ship, which has 33 tanks and other military supplies on board.
The seizure off Somalia, which is engulfed in civil war, has dangerous ramifications for the turbulent east African region and the commercially strategic shipping lanes off Somalia.
The Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia is a major global sea artery used by about 20,000 vessels a year heading to and from the Suez Canal.
The Indian Ocean waters off south Somalia are also busy, and are used for UN aid shipments.
Somali pirates have taken about 30 ships this year.
Kenya says the Ukrainian ship’s cargo was intended for its military.
But some analysts believe the equipment may have been headed for south Sudan in possible breach of an arms embargo.
Why the hell would you transport military equipment unescorted through the most dangerous waters in the world?
Piracy is the main industry in the that part of Somailia. The region where it all takes place is a semi-autonomous region called Puntland. Read a very interesting article on it on the BBC website a few weeks back.
[quote=“The Runt”]Why the hell would you transport military equipment unescorted through the most dangerous waters in the world?
Piracy is the main industry in the that part of Somailia. The region where it all takes place is a semi-autonomous region called Puntland. Read a very interesting article on it on the BBC website a few weeks back.[/quote]
it was an illegal shipment actually headed to sudan they want 20million for it back so id say they ruskies will just blow it to pieces
Somali pirates who captured a Saudi supertanker have narrowly failed in hijacking a British tanker.
The British tanker Trafalgar was suddenly surrounded in the Gulf of Aden by at least eight speedboats.
It was rescued when the German frigate Karlsruhe on patrol 12 miles away sent a helicopter to scare off the pirates who fled at high speed.
The latest audacious attack by Somali pirates comes as they are expected to a record ransom of more than $10million for the release of the Saudi oil supertanker hijacked off the Kenyan coast.
Hijack: The tanker is now at anchor off a notorious Somali pirate port
Negotiations over the Sirius Star, packed with two million barrels of crude oil worth $100million (67m) - enough to supply the whole of France for a day - were said still not to have opened formally.
Read an article on it in yesterdays indo. They seem to be well organised and over half of ship captures so far this year have been off the coast of Somalia.
Completely unrelated and in danger of just putting up another Johnny Foreigner topic on this thread but in the broad maritime/Indian Ocean theme have any of ye ever read about the Sentinel Islands.
North Sentinel is in the Indian Ocean miles from anywhere. Nobody knows feck all about who lives there, how many there are, what language they speak or anything because they reject all contact with all civilisation.
The Indian government undertook an exercise to bond with them a while back and got to within a mile or so of the island every day or week with fruit or something and sent it ashore. They did this for ages and moved closer each time slowly building up trust. Then they brought the fruit right to shore and the local lads killed them. They attacked the helicopters that tried to check on them after the tsunami as well.
Probably completely misrepresenting them here but if you’re ever bored google them - there’s north and south islands - and have a read. Cracking stuff.
Ya, this Puntland region is a pirates oasis in the middle of somalia. The region is thriving from the fruits of pirating. They all drive around in flash cars and there’s fancy restaurants etc.
[quote=“therock67”]Completely unrelated and in danger of just putting up another Johnny Foreigner topic on this thread but in the broad maritime/Indian Ocean theme have any of ye ever read about the Sentinel Islands.
North Sentinel is in the Indian Ocean miles from anywhere. Nobody knows feck all about who lives there, how many there are, what language they speak or anything because they reject all contact with all civilisation.
The Indian government undertook an exercise to bond with them a while back and got to within a mile or so of the island every day or week with fruit or something and sent it ashore. They did this for ages and moved closer each time slowly building up trust. Then they brought the fruit right to shore and the local lads killed them. They attacked the helicopters that tried to check on them after the tsunami as well.
Probably completely misrepresenting them here but if you’re ever bored google them - there’s north and south islands - and have a read. Cracking stuff.[/quote]
Have been following the pirates story over the past few days, it’s great stuff, they have satellite phones and machine guns, they’re about their business anyway.
I was reading about the Sirius Star last night - it’s the length of 3 soccer pitches and a huge yoke altogether and the boys rocked up in their speedboats and took it over. Class. They’re definitely getting more and more organised and using technology to locate ships etc to intercept them. They’re diversifying into hijacking different kinds of shipments too and the latest one they’ve hijacked contains oil as far as I know. Going back a few years ago, they concentrated solely on videos apparently.
has the makings of a belter of a row…the ex-Rooskies against the black pirates…pity it wasn’t a tinker’s ship they hijacked… that would be a mouthwatering battle - the tinkers vs. the black pirates…
Would a heavy machine gun not be enough to scatter these raggle taggle gypsies? Opening up on them with an M50 from the crow’s nest would account for most of them surely?
