Seized tanker anchors off Somalia

steel bat · #1 (**permalink**) 18-11-2008, 11:36 PM

Pirates have anchored a hijacked Saudi oil tanker off the Somali coast, as the spate of hijackings gathered pace with two more ships seized on Tuesday.

Vela International said all 25 crew on the Sirius Star - the biggest tanker ever hijacked - were said to be safe.
The vessel is carrying a cargo of 2m barrels - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m.

A cargo ship and a fishing vessel were the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates this year.

Source & full article - BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Seized tanker anchors off Somalia

Rules frustrate anti-piracy efforts

The international effort to stop piracy off Somalia has not worked and the effort clearly needs to be stepped up into a higher gear.

Again a BBC article - BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Rules frustrate anti-piracy efforts

One would have thought that marines or special forces would be sent in to sort these cut-throats out without delay, but it seems that all the do-gooders through the years have so tied everything up in rules and regulations that the pirates are sitting pretty and very likely to get away with their attrocity.

**Jezer** · #2 (**permalink**) 19-11-2008, 12:47 AM

Why don't they go back to having guarded convoys, and vapourise anyone threatening them.

Escafeldia · #3 (**permalink**) 19-11-2008, 09:31 AM

It seems to me that this situation in Somalia is ripe for some firm action. I am sure that an operation by a combined SAS and SBS force could give a firm message to these bloody Pirates that highjacking ships is not a good idea. If these forces were taken into the area by submarine it is pretty clear that a nightime boarding party could retrieve the tanker and sort out the pirates who are on board. I see in this mornings news that the Indians have sunk one of these pirate "mother" ships. More action like this needs to be done. BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | India 'sinks Somali pirate ship'