Somalia pirates taking ships- where was the on-board security?

**ital916** · 17th April 2009, 07:20

Originally Posted by Morcs

shoot all somalians = no more somalian pirates...

god...why doesnt someone go and build skynet already, that would sort the problems out quick smart.

**Morcs** · 17th April 2009, 08:07

Originally Posted by Drider87

god...why doesnt someone go and build skynet already, that would sort the problems out quick smart.

Whoa talk about a dredge. that post was 6 months old...

**Swoop** · 17th April 2009, 08:15

Embarrassing Consequences
April 16, 2009: Somali government (TNG) officials confirm that al Qaeda is using the country as a base, for training terrorists for attacks in neighboring Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen. The most radical Somali faction, al Shabaab, has even recruited about a dozen young men from the Somali refugee community (of about 150,000 legal and illegal migrants) in the United States. The U.S. is now seeking to interrupt Somali pirate and terrorist factions access to banks in the region.
Somaliland accused neighboring Eritrea of training and sheltering Islamic terrorists who are staging attacks inside Somaliland. Eritrea is allied with Sudan and Iran in supporting Islamic radical groups.

So far this year, Somali pirates have attacked at least 80 ships, capturing about fifteen of them (many fishing boat captures go unreported, or are difficult to confirm). Since the international anti-piracy patrol has made the Gulf of Aden difficult (or even dangerous, depending on which country the warship is from) for pirates, more attacks have been made off the east coast. The pirates have the advantage here, because the 3,000 kilometers long Somali coast is far larger than the current force of two dozen foreign warships can effectively patrol. These multimillion dollar payoffs have attracted thousands of ambitious and fearless young Somalis, looking to score big, and retire.

In the past month, since the Somali TNG moved to Mogadishu, three members of parliament have been murdered. Al Shabaab death squads are believed to be responsible. So far this year, about 60,000 refugees have returned to Mogadishu, and some of them back Islamic radicals and terrorists.

At some point, when "too many" ships are captured by pirates and held for ransom, the international community will go ashore and destroy (at least for a while) the Somali pirates. There is already quite a lot of intelligence on who the pirates are, who leads them and where the leaders live and mother ships and speedboats are based. Smart bomb and ground attacks have been worked out, for planning purposes only, and estimates made for the number of "civilian" casualties. But in Somali society, there are no "civilians." Everyone gets involved in the fight. Peacekeepers in Somalia are shocked at how casually, and frequently, Somali gunmen use women and children as human shields. But military planners know that cell phone camera pictures of dead women and children, will get more attention in the media than those of blasted pirate ships and dead pirates. Nothing like a good war crime to sell newspapers.

Meanwhile, there's a gold rush atmosphere on northern Somalia's "pirate coast." More gangs are being formed, and going hunting. The gangs have an informal organization, which largely consists of not getting into each others' way. The local government of Puntland (a tribal coalition that had brought peace to this corner of the country) has been bought off and intimidated into inaction. The local Islamic Courts gunmen are not numerous, but have declared the taking of ships owned by Moslems to be bad. Plundering infidel ships is another matter, which the Islamic radicals are rather more vague on.

What it comes down to is that the piracy will continue and grow until the pirates no longer have bases. Nothing new about this. Similar piracy situations have arisen for thousands of years, and have been eliminated the same way; you go after the bases. But no one wants to step forward and do this. In the past this was less of a problem, because there was no mass media quick to find fault with any government action. But there's also the nature of the enemy. The Somalis have been a regional menace for centuries, raiding and threatening neighbors with all manner of mayhem. The Somalis are persistent and resourceful fighters. British 19th century colonial administrators learned that the best way to deal with Somali outlaws was to "shoot on sight, shoot first, shoot to kill, keep shooting." Not unexpectedly, post-colonial Somalia proved unable to govern itself. The tribal rivalries kept the pot boiling, and even the rise of a "clean government" party (the Islamic Courts), based on installing a religious dictatorship, backfired. Too many Somalis were willing to fight the Islamic radicals, who were also handicapped by their support for al Qaeda and international Islamic terrorism.

In the past (before the European colonialists showed up) a form of order was imposed by having more reasonable (and often non-Somali) powers hold the coastal cities and towns, enabling trade with the outside world. One had to accept a near constant state of war, or just the banditry, with the interior tribes. There were periods of peace, as warlords established temporary kingdoms, but was never the notion that peace was something that would last. The Somalis were constantly at war with their neighbors, usually in the form of Somalis raiding into Kenya and Ethiopia, and sometimes getting attacked in turn by "punitive raids" (to discourage raiding, for a while anyway.)

Local Arab and African governments are looking to the West (the owners of most of the ships being plundered) to deal with the problem. The West is looking to the United States to take the lead. The U.S. got burned (by the Somalis and the mass media) the last time (1993) it tried to bring peace to Somalia. What will happen now is all these nations will squabble among themselves over who will do the deed, until the piracy gets so bad that someone blinks. Egypt is particularly nervous, as major ships are starting to avoid the Gulf of Aden, and the Suez canal. This could eventually deprive Egypt of millions of dollars a day in canal transit fees. It will cost shipping companies even more to send their slower and more vulnerable (to pirates) ships around the southern tip of Africa. But what will really bring in the marines (U.S. or otherwise) will be greedy pirates attacking too many (the exact number is uncertain) ships, especially the huge tankers entering and leaving the Persian Gulf. This trade is vital to international commerce and the world economy. Put too much hurt on the big money, and the big stick comes out.

When the bombs do drop, everyone gets something. The media have their irresistible wartime headlines, Somalia has some form of peace, and a small decrease in population. Only the pirates lose. But the Somalis don't fight like the Iraqis or Afghans (who don't fight like each other either). The Somalis have shorter fuses, and come at you with more vigor and determination. They are not really difficult to defeat, but it's messy. The Somalis like making war a family affair, and will use civilians as human shields. They have embraced the use of suicide bombers, roadside bombs and all manner of modern Moslem mayhem. Short of some unprecedented national attitude adjustment, the Somalis will continue being difficult and deadly to deal with.

**Swoop** · 17th April 2009, 08:15

The UN is trying to make an arms embargo in Somalia work. The UN has authorized the use of asset freezes and travel restrictions against gunrunners. This has not worked in the past, and is not working now. With the Ethiopians gone from Mogadishu, it's now up to the UN and AU (African Union) trying to maintain some form of order in the city. The UN is also under pressure to authorize a naval blockade of Somalia. This would be difficult and expensive to carry out, what with a 3,000 kilometer coastline, and lots of determined pirates. The blockade would have to be maintained (and paid for) "indefinitely", or until someone went in and imposed peace on the country. NATO has flat out refused to consider helping out with a blockade. Everyone wants something done about the pirates, but too many nations are holding back because of potentially embarrassing consequences (dead pirates or dead civilians).

April 14, 2009: In the last two days, pirates seized two cargo ships and two fishing boats off the Somali coast. Another American cargo ship, approaching Mombasa, Kenya, was attacked by pirates but, despite considerable damage from gunfire and RPGs, evaded capture. There aren't too many merchant ships with U.S. crews, because sailors from other nations will work for much less money. But U.S. law mandates that certain cargoes, like U.S. relief aid for foreign countries, be carried in ships with American crews. Thus the attacks on two U.S. crewed ships, which were carrying food and other supplies for Somali refugees in Kenya, and Somali famine victims inside Somalia.

About a thousand kilometers east of Mombasa, a French warship captured one of the pirate mother ships, and took eleven pirates prisoner.

April 13, 2009: The Transitional National Government (TNG, now run by more moderate Islamic radicals) praised the U.S. operation that killed three pirates and freed an American ship captain. The pirates are not popular with people in central and southern Somalia, because many recent attacks have gone after ships bringing in food and medical aid for drought stricken people in the south. If the pirates capture relief aid ships, they do not allow the food and other aid to be delivered, but hold it for ransom. Sometimes, pirates loot the ship's cargo and take what they want, for their own use.

In Mogadishu, a mortar shell hit the compound of the Red Crescent Society (the Moslem equivalent of the Red Cross), damaging a facility that provided artificial limbs for those with amputations (usually as a result of fighting in the area.) The mortar attack was not believed to be deliberate. Al Shabaab terrorists fire their few mortars largely at random, since the TNG controls most of the city, at least most of the time.

April 12, 2009: U.S. Navy SEAL snipers killed three pirates holding an American merchant marine captain. The fourth pirate had come aboard a nearby U.S. destroyer to negotiate and receive medical care (he had been stabbed in the hand with an ice pick when the American crew of the Alabama fought off the pirate attack four days ago). The pirates had allowed the American destroyer to tow their lifeboat to calmer waters. When it got dark, the destroyer crew gradually shortened the tow rope until the lifeboat was less than 30 meters away. This allowed three SEAL snipers, who had parachuted in earlier with sniper rifles and night scopes, to fire three shots simultaneously, after one of the pirates was seen threatening their captive with an assault rifle. A day earlier, the navy had been given permission to use force if the Alabama's captains life appeared in danger. This, in effect, was permission to kill the pirates. The SEALs sent in were from the elite SEAL Team Six, which is used for all manner of special jobs.

April 11, 2009: Four pirates, and their captive (the captain of ship Maersk Alabama, briefly captured while headed for Mombasa three days ago) have run out of fuel while trying to reach the Somali coast in one of the Alabama's lifeboats. The lifeboat is now surrounded by U.S. warships, and other warships forced pirates from bringing captured ships to the aid of the four pirates in the out-of-fuel lifeboat. The U.S. Navy and the FBI are negotiating with the four pirates to free the American captain. But the pirates want $2 million in ransom and free passage to the Somali coast. The U.S. refuses to pay ransom.

Pirates freed a 23,000 ton Polish freighter, and its 27 sailors, after payment of a $2.4 million ransom. The ship had been taken a month ago.

April 10, 2009: For the third time in a year, French commandos have attacked pirates to free captives. This time, two small boats containing French troops came at five pirates holding a yacht containing five civilians. During the brief gun battle, two pirates, and the captain of the yacht, were killed. The other three pirates were captured. Including these three, France now has fifteen Somalis being prosecuted for piracy.

**Swoop** · 20th April 2009, 11:44

Piracy off Somalia is nothing new, it has been a growing problem for over a decade. What is new is the use of professional negotiators (Arab agents from the Persian Gulf) to obtain the maximum ransom, moving the captured ships to a heavily defended anchorage, and keeping the crews imprisoned ashore. The pirates also perfected their tactics.
In the past, it was different. Back in 2002, German commandos freed a cargo ship that had been held for a month. That is much more difficult to pull off today. Seven years ago, a Greek ship was being held for $600,000 ransom, but the owners would only offer $35,000. The crew eventually (after six months captivity) overwhelmed their guards and got away. That doesn't happen much anymore either. The pirates have learned.

Through the 1990s, the ships most vulnerable to capture were ocean going foreign fishing boats, and small, local, coastal cargo boats. But by the late 1990s, the local fishermen had figured out that several speed boats, each with about half a dozen gunmen, and boarding gear (ladders and grappling hooks) could overtake a large ship and scramble aboard. This trend was interrupted by September 11, 2001, and the appearance of foreign warships off the coast, looking for terrorists. Not many Islamic terrorists were found, but it did make it a lot more difficult for the pirates. The warships stayed in international waters (about 20 kilometers off the coast), but that was enough to scare the pirates away from large ships.

But gradually, the pirates realized that using larger, high seas, "mother ships" to tow several speed boats, they could go hunting for larger ships. The pirates also became aware of the international law governing piracy. The 1990s "Law of the Sea" prevented warships from taking preventive action against suspected pirates. The mother ships were largely immune from attack, and the speedboats full of armed men were not attacked unless they were pursuing and firing on a ship. Many nations interpret their own law as prohibiting their sailors from punishing pirates at all. That, and the use of professional negotiators to get larger and larger ransoms, attracted more gangs to the piracy effort. There was high potential payoff, and low risks.

The Somali pirates didn't suddenly appear over the last few years, they evolved over more than a decade of trial and error. A major assist with this is that the international anti-piracy patrol off Somalia is obsessed with avoiding violence, or punishment. The warships rarely fire on pirates, even when they catch the pirates in the act. When pirates are captured, they are usually released. When four armed pirates, and an American ship captain, were cornered recently, the president of the United States would not allow force to be used, until after first letting negotiations proceed for three days. Finally, on the fourth day, a local commander put his career on the line, and ordered the SEAL snipers to kill the recalcitrant pirates, and end the standoff. But that was the exception.

The pirates deliberately avoid hurting the crews. There have been a few casualties while taking ships (all that machine-gun, RPG and rifle fire is bound to hit someone from time to time), but not enough to tag the Somalis as "blood thirsty" pirates. What the pirates fear the most is more violence by the anti-piracy forces. The French have sent in commandos three times against pirates who attacked French ships. Over a dozen pirates have died. U.S. Navy SEAL commandos recently killed three pirates. The Somalis have vowed vengeance against France and America, but it is not in their interest to escalate the violence. The rest of the world has a lot more firepower, and European armies have conquered Somalia before. Many Somalis wish the European colonial government would return, but that won't happen. And no one wants a lot of dead bodies to complicate the piracy situation. The insurance companies are willing to raise rates and pay the ransoms. As long as less than one percent of ship traffic is taken for ransom, international trade is not harmed. No one will admit it, but this is a tolerable situation, despite more aggressive press releases from government officials.

**awayatc** · 20th April 2009, 11:50

anybody keen to do the same here?

Seems to be some serious coin involved....

a few little runabouts on Tardme....

**Korumba** · 20th April 2009, 11:56

A picture says a thousand words....

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/200...f_somalia.html

**awayatc** · 20th April 2009, 12:12

Not a single eypatch!
No parrot....
Not one wooden leg....

Call themselves Pirates...

**Squid** · 20th April 2009, 14:38

This is why the brits had so much trouble huh. Jamal and his ride...

**Swoop** · 8th May 2009, 12:44

May 7, 2009: The Western "catch and release" tactics against the Somali pirates are failing. The pirates are encouraged by the fact that the foreign warships will not shoot. At most, pirates will usually be disarmed then released to take their speedboats back to shore. There, the pirates can obtain new weapons, and be back on the hunt the next day. While the "catch and release" methods take some pirates out of circulation, and prosecute a minority of them (the French, Americans and a few other catch and prosecute, or even kill, but that is considered barbarous and excessive by many Western nations), the pirates have learned to adapt. Thus, while the naval patrols reduced the pirate success rate early on (only 8 percent of pirate attacks succeeded in January 2009, versus 40 percent for all of 2008), the 2009 success rate has steadily increased. It averages 23 percent so far this year, but was running at 2008 rates in April. Worse, the pirates are now operating far (up to 1,500 kilometers) off the east coast, as well as in the Gulf of Aden, and are attacking at nearly double the rate of last year (when 115 ships were attacked). In other words, the pirates are winning. The shipping companies are willing to tolerate the higher level of captures, because they simply pay the higher insurance rates, plus some danger pay to some of the crews, and keep issuing press releases deploring the situation. The fact of the matter is that, even if twice as many ships are captured as last year, this still means that over 99 percent of the ships moving through the area are not bothered. As long as the pirates aren't killing people, the shipping companies can tolerate the inconvenience.
Although France and the U.S. have used their commandos against the pirates, Germany tried to, but withdrew at the last minute because the risk of people getting hurt was considered too high. It's becoming fashionable in the West to view the pirates as displaced (by rapacious foreign fishing fleets) fishermen driven to piracy in order to feed their starving families. This is a fantasy, but a popular one (with a small grain of truth, just enough to keep it going.)

The Somali government (a coalition of more moderate factions, and once called the Transitional National Government, or TNG), is now run by more moderate Islamic radicals, and is asking the UN to get Eritrea and Iran to stop providing more radical groups (like al Shabaab) with money and weapons. Eritrea got involved because Ethiopia is involved (because Ogaden, a province of Ethiopia, is full of rebellious ethnic Somalis, and raiders from Somalia operate inside Ethiopia if they can get away with it.)

May 6, 2009: A Burundian peacekeeper was killed in Mogadishu. There are several hundred Islamic radical, al Shabaab, gunmen in the city, trying to drive the government forces out. They are not having much success. Similar operations are taking place throughout central Somalia. Al Shabaab is outnumbered, but are determined and allied with some other Islamic terrorist groups. This has driven another 25,000 civilians across the border into Kenyan refugee camps. Even more civilians have fled to other parts of Somalia. While most Somalis would like some kind of peace, all have adapted to anarchy.

May 3, 2009: Pirates agreed to free a ship full of food and goods owned by Somali merchants. The pirates were paid a small fee for their trouble, but not the usual multi-million dollar ransom.

**Deano** · 8th May 2009, 12:48

SPECIAL CRUISE 2009 OFFER FOR ADVENTUROUS TRAVELERS.

I found a Somali cruise package that departs from Sawakin (in the Sudan ) and docks at Bagamoya (in Tanzania ).

The cost is a bit high @ $800 per person double occupancy but I didn't find that offensive. What I found encouraging and enlightened is that the cruise is encouraging people to bring their 'High powered weapons' along on the cruise.

If you don't have weapons you can rent them right there on the boat. They claim to have a master blacksmith on board and will have reloading parties every afternoon.

The cruise lasts from 4-8 days and nights and costs a maximum of $3200 per person double occupancy (4 days). All the boat does is sail up and down the coast of Somalia waiting to get hijacked by pirates.

Here are some of the costs and claims associated with the package:

$800.00 US/per day double occupancy (4 day max billing)

M-16 full auto rental $25.00/day - ammo at 100 rounds of 5.56 armour piercing ammo at $15.95

Ak-47 rifle @ No charge - ammo at 100 rounds of 7.62 com block ball ammo at
$14.95

Barrett M-107 .50 cal sniper rifle rental $55.00/day - ammo at 25 rounds 50 cal armour piercing at $9.95

Crew members can double as spotters for 30.00 per hour (spotting scope included).

Far Out ---- they even offer RPG's at 75 bucks and 200 dollars for 3 standard loads

"Everyone gets use of free complimentary night vision equipment and coffee and snacks on the top deck from 7pm-6am."

Meals are not included but seem reasonable.

Most cruises offer a mini-bar.

These gung ho entrepreneurs offer......... get this .....

"MOUNTED MINIGUN AVAILABLE @ $450.00 per 30 seconds of sustained fire"

Sign my arse up!

They advertise group rates and corporate discounts...... and even claim "FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY"

They even offer a partial money back guarantee if not satisfied.

Here's some text from the ad:

"We guarantee that you will experience at least two hijacking attempts by pirates or we will refund half your money back including gun rental charges and any unused ammo ( mini gun charges not included)..

How can we guarantee you will experience a hijacking?

We operate at 5 knots within 12 miles of the coast of Somalia. If an attempted Hijacking does not occur we will turn the boat around and cruise by at 4 knots.

We will repeat this for up to 8 days making three passes a day along the entire length of Somalia.

At night the boat is fully lit and bottle rockets are shot off at intervals and loud disco music beamed shore side to attract attention. Cabin space is limited so respond quickly. Reserve your package before Feb 29 and get 100 rounds of free tracer ammo in the calibre of your choice."

As if all that isn't enough to whet your appetite, there were a few
testimonials:

"I got three confirmed kills on my last trip. I'LL never hunt big game in Africa again. I felt like the Komandant in Schindlers list!"----

Lars , Hamburg Germany

"Six attacks in 4 days was more than I expected. I bagged three pirates and my 12yr old son sank two rowboats with the minigun. PIRATES 0 -PASSENGERS-32! Well worth the trip. Just make sure your spotter speaks English"

Ned, Salt Lake city , Utah USA

I haven't had this much fun since flying choppers in NAM . Don't worry about getting shot by pirates as they never even got close to the ship with those weapons they use and their shitty aim--reminds me of a drunken 'juicer' door gunner we picked up from the motor pool back in Nam" –

"chopper' Dan ----Toledo USA.

"Like ducks in a barrel. They turned the ship around and we saw them bleed and cry in the water like little girls. Saw one wounded pirate eaten by sharks--what a laugh riot!! This is a must do.---

Zeke-Minnahaw Springs Kentucky USA

**awayatc** · 8th May 2009, 22:05

some people are so sick that calling a doctor seems to be a waste of time.....

am contemplating turning Somalian for a while.....just for a laugh.....