Posted on 04/14/2009 12:21:33 AM PDT by zipper
Pirates have hijacked a tanker off the coast of Somalia, maritime officials say, days after several pirates were killed by US and French forces.
In the latest in a string of attacks by pirates seeking ransom payments, a freighter named as the MV Irene was taken in the Gulf of Aden.....
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/Mv-Irene-8225216.html
You’d think that it was about time to jettison that 75lb chunk of scrap mettle we needed to discard. Looks like about three would do the trick! From that height they would go right through the bottom of the boat.
They’ll keep doing it until somebody stops them. Not to overstate the obvious.
Or how about a rain of bricks or concrete blocks... none of the pirates have helmets...
In midieval times during a castle seige the gimmick was to pour molten lead on the attackers.
Pretty effective. The modern equivalent might be to pour the ship’s deep-fryer grease on them.
Every one of these ships should have RPG’s under lock and key.
Every one.
This crap was scary. Now it’s just old.
There’s probably 200 FReepers (including myself, of course), who, if we were standing on the rail with suitable tools could end the problem real quick.
I ain’t no Seal Sniper, but I can hit a bunch of natives bobbing in a Bayliner with BOTH eyes closed!
Very true. Unfortunately the obvious seems easier to overstate than to admit.
Apparently the SAME vessel was also hijacked last summer, and released after $1.5 million ransom was paid.
Now Fox is reporting the ship’s name as Irene E.M.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/Irene-E.m-7433593.html
do a “Google Earth” search on Ely, Somalia... It is truly the armpit of the world.....
If they don’t have guns...which crazy anyway ..a harpon gun would do the trick...right thru the bottom of those boats.
Here’s something that came to me.
Some kind of heavy spiked ball shaped weapon, like a mace head, attached to a chain, that can be repeatedly hurled and retrieved. Or the same except it’s covered with FISH HOOKS instead of spikes.
STOP sailing near Somalian waters.
End of problem.
Then again, I hear pirates are particularly susceptible to hot lead injections...
They say arming the ships would only make matters worse (I disagree) — but it is a fact that insurance rates would go up if they were armed.
I think there are about 260 seamen being held hostage right now, from various hijacked ships there in the region.
They even fired some mortars at a visiting U.S. congressman. Not acceptable, even considering he is a Democrat.
Nope.
I’m tired.
Just blow them out of the water.
Sharks need to eat.
We have to make it CLEAR to them, we need to STOP PUSSYFOOTIN AROUND, and MAKE IT PLAIN that if they want to try it, they are gonna get killed.
No ifs, ands, or buts.
“...do a Google Earth search on Ely, Somalia...”
World class Walleye fishing????
Trophy white tail deer hunting????
Near the Hockey Hall of Fame????
Opps - Ely, Minnesota. Nevermind.
“Theyll keep doing it until somebody stops them. Not to overstate the obvious.”
It is really simple, isn’t it. I mean, it’s not rocket science. Did NONE of the captured ships have any kind of useful weapons? Given the ransoms paid, security is too expensive? I’m not buying it...something stinks in Denmark.
Would that previous hijack be of the M.V. Irene (first reports) or the Irene E.m.?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.