Posted on 11/21/2008 6:07:21 PM PST by george76
Somali pirates built up their defences around a captured Saudi Arabian super-tanker Friday after demanding a 25 million dollar ransom.
As foreign navies sent warships to Somalia's dangerous waters and shipping companies sought alternative routes, extra clan militia and other fighters were brought in at the pirate lair of Harardhere...
"Some of them are inside the town and others are taking shelter in a nearby village and can be called if need be," ... He said the fighters had come from neighbouring Gulgudud and Mudug regions.
Local militia and hardline Shebab fighters also arrived in Harardhere in what some residents said was a move to position themselves for a share of any ransom paid.
The pirates on Thursday gave the owners 10 days to pay a 25 million dollar ransom, said a pirate who identified himself as Mohamed Said, threatening "disastrous" consequences if Vela International, shipping arm of the Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco, fail to comply.
He did not specify the threatened action but the 330-metre (1,000-foot) long tanker is carrying two million barrels of crude oil.
Environmental groups have warned of a huge catastrophe if oil from the super-tanker was released.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Even the Airforce has a saying fore. ;-)
This reminds me of school days. The bully gets to pick on whomever he will, and when anyone responds in kind, the whole class gets in trouble.
Pea-brained Liberalism 1-A
People should remember this when it inevitably comes up in the 'rat congress next year.
Yea fore skin. damn 9 to 5 er’s I did all my time, at least 4 and half years on the USS Truett FF1095. All we did was go to sea and drink when we werent.I’m not going to sea anymore and trying to get the other part under control.I was east coast. Med and carribean and such.
“If it moves salute it. If it don’t move pick it up. If you can’t pick it up paint it.”
Nah. Just hire Blackwater Worldwide Inc.
That was the expression I was looking for old age tends to floss over time worn expressions like this one thanks.
You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you. Leon Trotsky
(Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.)
This sounds familiar. Where is it from?
Why did you post an almost year old, 800x1131px, 1.6MB image that’s not readable?
I know of no such law. Civilian vessels, commercial or not, often carry weapons for their own defense. The only problem is compliance with whatever laws there are in the ports where they call.
When I did boardings merchant or otherwise, in international waters, our first question for the master was always "where are your guns" not "do you have...". Some company-owned vessels didn't have any, but many did. I don't recall a single privately-owned vessel that was unarmed in open sea.
Mostly I think vessels, if unarmed, are so by corporate policy, not any law. Many of them don't entirely trust their own crews (and if you've seen some of these crews you might agree). Up till now I would suppose that the insurance risks of armed crews have been a big problem. It could be, though, that this could be changing, and soon. For Blackwater-type protective contractors it could be a real good time to be in bidness.
i think there is a law against private owned vessels carrying firearms in the suez canal.
This sounds familiar. Where is it from?
Lord of The Rings, The Two Towers. Aragorn, speaking to Theoden, King of Rohan who had just said "I will not risk open war".
:-)
Send a coupla Wart Hogs to the pirate villages to say hello.
Armed resistance by determuined crew would interfere.
The Saudis are likely to pay any ransom. I recall the early 1970s incident when the OPEC ministers were taken hostage (in Europe I think) by some PLO terrorists, and their gov’ts promptly paid for their release.
Yesssssss.
“Insiders pass on cargo value,transit times,etc to pirates for a fee.”
What do you think the purpose of the Suez Canal is for? I mean Custom Officer Ahmed has three kids to feed back in Cairo after all.
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