QuoteSIX Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of the ransom when their boat capsized as it left the vessel, their leader said yesterday.
Four others were missing with their share of the $3m payoff, which [had] been parachuted on to the tanker on Friday, Mohamed Said said by phone from the port of Harardhere.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5489141.ece :mutley:
Tanin no fuko wa mitsu no aji. :P
Also:
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/09/24/whatever-x-day-xiv-2/
There should be better security in the area anyway, ships carrying extremely valuable cargo should be protected by suitable military forces.
Although I would have had a helicopter force ready to take the pirates out anyway once they had cleared the ship. A few dead pirates would certainly be a message to the rest of them. Perhaps send in the SAS to clear the other ships?
Send in the SEALs!
this looks like a perfectly reasonable response to me
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ships
Nowadays though I am guessing they might have the tech and contacts etc to know which are decoys...?
These pirates are usually armed only with hand held weaponry, chances are they keep a visual lookout for possible targets going close enough to shore for them to intercept. Largest weapon any of them would carry would be an RPG launcher, most would be equipped with an automatic rifle like the kalashnikov. Their chances of having any computer or technical expertise is minimal.
Quote from: SeriousThere should be better security in the area anyway, ships carrying extremely valuable cargo should be protected by suitable military forces.
Although I would have had a helicopter force ready to take the pirates out anyway once they had cleared the ship. A few dead pirates would certainly be a message to the rest of them. Perhaps send in the SAS to clear the other ships?
What suitable military forces? They are stretched thin enough as it is unfortunately, unless they receive a major cash injection there is no way anyones armed forces will be escorting civilian ships in the not too distant future.
Aye, its bad enough enforcing some of the fisheries. I remember one incident where a boat illegally fishing patagonian toothfish, was chased several hundred miles by the one enforcement vessel, which could only just keep up, before another countries armed coastguard joined in!
As to the equipment of the pirates, Id have thought they would either be extremely basic, or going for the big haul, possibly with some major planning involved...I mean, you get a contact from one of the shipping firms, find out theres a crapload of something valuable going from A-B, and that at a certain point they will be away from any patrols in international waters etc.
of course, the whole thing could be a setup to catch them, but it might not be....?
i think theyre more technical than you think, they do have sat phones after all
Quote from: SeriousPerhaps send in the SAS to clear the other ships?
Not on my tax-payers money you dont. Troops arent there to protect commercial interests.
Oh, wait... :mutley: