Pirates....again.....

[Amgine]

For starters, the ship was on the coast of Yemen, the far side of the Gulf of Adan, well inside the patrolled zone.

Second, it was the Danish Navy that organized the response, calling on a French ship to scramble a helicopter to get to the scene. Denmark has the lead of the NATO mission in the area at the moment. I think the Europeans did a good job protecting a US cruise ship, don't you?

Finally, Somalia is widely accepted to be a failed state. However, non-state actors, such as these pirates, make very complicated international relations. The last big non-state actor we can all remember was al-Quaida. Personally, I don't expect any movement on this without a UN Security council statement, and I do not believe any will be forthcoming for at least 48 days.

[projectfiji]

Just a couple of quick quips...

1. Somalia is a failed state. There is no functioning government to ask to help curb this problem. The nation is quickly turning into an anarchy case study.
2. The pirates are heroes to the Somali people. They have brought vast amounts of wealth to a country that has nothing.
3. Giving them back their fishing grounds does nothing at this point. Hijack ships for $,$$$,$$$'s or catch fish for .$$? You decide.
4. They have enough hostages at this point to where you don't really want to do anything to provoke them. I believe the last count I read was 300 people. No country wants to be the one that launches an attack that causes these people to be killed. It would be a PR nightmare.

[bmartinsen]

"The faster cruise ship managed to escape, and used a long-range acoustic device — which blasts a painful wave of sound — to distract the pirates."

Anyone know where I can get me one of them "long range thingys"

[David M]

Originally Posted by bmartinsen

"The faster cruise ship managed to escape, and used a long-range acoustic device — which blasts a painful wave of sound — to distract the pirates."

Anyone know where I can get me one of them "long range thingys"

Bring your mother-in-law along?

[SilentOption]

Originally Posted by bmartinsen

"The faster cruise ship managed to escape, and used a long-range acoustic device — which blasts a painful wave of sound — to distract the pirates."

Anyone know where I can get me one of them "long range thingys"

Apparently the women from Connecticut have them built in.

Perhaps I could arrange for my exwife to cruise with you as a stand by annoying acoustic noise making thingy.

Shes real good at it and she has some other skills too. Like if you're doing something wrong. She'll keep letting you know.

[David M]

GMTA Silent....we posted at exactly the same time.

[SilentOption]

too funny! But True

[SilentOption]

On a serious note, a company called Ageis Industries was making some batons that had several capabilities one of which was a debilitating acoustic noise maker. They were designed with cockpit crews in mind. They also had a Taser like Stun capability and a light that blinded you.
I saw them at an arms show a few years ago but I haven't heard much about them since.

[porttack]

Ah...
The Somali version of trickle down economics. It's great to see EU understanding about such matters as economics. Teach us. Please teach us Talbot. It can't be that the so called Somali Government is closer to the pirates than their starving people. Let's count the years until the UN does anything about it but talk. The French had a unique approach though. They pay the ransom, then track down the perpetrators and kill them, retrieving most of the Euros and making quite a statement all without asking a peep from the UN. You see they know that organization very well. Until more of the same is done, smart people will stay clear.

[Amgine]

CMA CGA is now paying double time while transiting the region.

Not bad since they're containerships, which aren't being targeted 'cuz there's no method for the pirates to board the boats.

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Guzzi

The amount of money moving around creates jobs....and the "pirates" (they are actually terrorists) are aquiring that money illegally!

Terrorists may hijack a ship to get access to the cargo, but will probably kill the crew. They dont care about the people.

Pirates (sommalian version) have not killed anyone, prefering to tie them up and ransom them. I believe the very few deaths have all been caused by the stress of the moment.

Lumping these all together is like calling the neighbourhood flasher a terrorist.

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Amgine

Not bad since they're containerships, which aren't being targeted 'cuz there's no method for the pirates to board the boats.

I suggest you read the list of piracy and you will see that they not only can climb up a containership, but have done in many places in the world.

Originally Posted by Amgine

Personally, I don't expect any movement on this without a UN Security council statement, and I do not believe any will be forthcoming for at least 48 days.

I suggest you read UNSCR 1814(2008), UNSCR 1816(2008) and UNSCR 1838 (2008) . There is also the IMO resolutions on Piracy off the coast of Somalia.

UNSCRs can appear very quickly when there is a will so to do, (within 4 days on one occassion).

[GordMay]

Behind the Pirate Lines: (Sail World)
Sail-World.com : Behind the Pirate Lines

[Southern Star]

Am I the only one who is tired of UN and Europe bashing? Not only did the Europeans respond to this quickly, but they did so to protect a US registered vessel. That despite the fact that US refuses to pay up its dues to UN. And speaking of the UN, it seems their weapons inspectors were doing their job in Iraq afterall - they failed to find any weapons of mass destruction because there were no weapons of mass destruction.

Unlike the US congress, the UN is anything but perfect; nevertheless, the world is a safer place for all of us because of it. They were responsible for the peace keeping force used to resolve the orignal Suez crisis in 1957 and continue to provide needed security and aid in various nations that have impact upon cruisers from around the world. Casting wide aspersion at an entire continent and the UN is hardly useful; nor is it conducive to anyone providing assistance to Americans who are sailing these waters.

Brad

[svHyLyte]

Having presented your argument, please do us the courtesy of providing a single example illustrating the manner in which the world has been made "Safer" as a result of UN action in the last quarter century.