Homicidalheathen Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Is it too late to join the league of ninjas? CNN) -- Pirates near Somalia's coastline attacked a cargo ship Wednesday with a crew of at least 20 U.S. nationals aboard, according to the company that owns the vessel. The hijacked ship is believed to be similar to the vessel pictured. Maersk Line Ltd issued a statement saying it believes the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama was hijacked. If so, it would be the sixth hijacking over the past week in the region. The container vessel was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked about 500 kilometers (310 miles) off Somalia's coast, the statement said. U.S. government sources said the ship was attacked about 7:30 a.m., and the closest U.S. Navy warship was about 300 nautical miles away. On Tuesday, the U.S. Navy warned mariners that pirates were attacking ships hundreds of miles offshore. The cargo ship is owned and operated by a Maersk subsidiary in Norfolk, Virginia, Maersk spokesman Michael Storgaard said. He would not provide any details about the security arrangements on board the Maersk Alabama. "We have very strict policies on the vessel ... crews are trained to handle these types of situations," Storgaard said from Maersk's headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. He said the company is contacting the crew members' relatives and setting up assistance for them. "That is at this moment our primary concern," Storgaard said. Watch a Maersk spokesman talk of the hijacking » The Maersk Line is one of the Department of Defense's primary shipping contractors, but the Maersk Alabama is not under a Pentagon contract, according to Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. military's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. Storgaard said the Maersk Alabama was carrying general cargo, including, most likely, aid supplies for East Africa. No action has been taken so far against the pirates, Christensen said. "There is a task force present in the region to deter any type of piracy, but the challenge remains that the area is so big and it is hard to monitor all the time," he said. "The area we patrol is over a million square miles. We can't be everywhere at once." He said U.S.-flagged ships are not usually escorted by the U.S. Navy unless they request it. Pirates are changing their tactics and taking advantage of tens of thousands of square miles of open water where fewer military ships patrol, according to U.S. military officials, as evidenced by more attacks off the coast of Somalia, south of the seas patrolled by U.S. and coalition ships. "They [pirates] are going where we are not, they are looking for targets where there is limited coalition presence," according to a U.S. military briefing document shown to CNN. See how pirate attacks have increased » Christensen said the pirates appear to be using larger ships either to attack, or as a base ship from which they launch smaller attack ships. "It appears the pirates are operating in a different fashion," he said. "It's a lot like cops on a beat. The criminals will go where they're not." Coalition ships mainly patrol in the busy sea lanes of the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and northern Somalia as ships come out of and head toward the mouth of the Red Sea. "Despite increased naval presence in the region, ships and aircraft are unlikely to be close enough to provide support to vessels under attack. The scope and magnitude of the problem cannot be understated," according to a news release from the U.S. Navy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torn asunder Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 AARrrrr! those be REAL pirates & real pirates be vile, foul creatures! a'course, ninjas're also vile, foul creatures, what might bathe more regular-like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunhee Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev.Reverence Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 AARrrrr! those be REAL pirates & real pirates be vile, foul creatures! a'course, ninjas're also vile, foul creatures, what might bathe more regular-like... No doubt! These guys are SLICK! Um...why don't we watch them with satellites?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enishi Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) If the world goes through a period of severe depression and political turmoil, maritime travel will likely become much more treacherous. Edited April 9, 2009 by Enishi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormKnight (1) Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 No doubt! These guys are SLICK! Um...why don't we watch them with satellites?? My understanding is that they use inflatable boats or something really small. This would not be a problem except civilian cargo and transport vessels do not have weapons, and the pirates are armed to the teeth. A well placed bomb below water can cripple a cargo ship. The best the cargo crew can do is use high pressure water (weapons coming into some ports is generally considered a bad idea.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torn asunder Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 My understanding is that they use inflatable boats or something really small. This would not be a problem except civilian cargo and transport vessels do not have weapons, and the pirates are armed to the teeth. A well placed bomb below water can cripple a cargo ship. The best the cargo crew can do is use high pressure water (weapons coming into some ports is generally considered a bad idea.) AARRRR!! if they be usin' inflatable boats, why not just harpoon the little bilge rats!? 'tis hard ta be piratin' & plunderin' when yer ship's deflatin' around ye!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev.Reverence Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 AARRRR!! if they be usin' inflatable boats, why not just harpoon the little bilge rats!? 'tis hard ta be piratin' & plunderin' when yer ship's deflatin' around ye!! There are numerous small craft constructed out of plastics & fiberglasses & such... ...hARRd to hARRpoon... ..these 'land-lubers' need to start packin' some heat on the open seas...cargo or whatever..NO PORT WITHSTANDING... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Wreck Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 they should bring back Q ships Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaf The Horse With Tears Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 You might want to explain waht a Q ship is. Most people prolly wont know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev.Reverence Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Q-boat is "undercover warship"...looks like a freighter...has hidden big gunz! Numbah1 U-boat killa' in the WWs...I think they should use these tactics in addition to arming the freighters to some degree...shit, at least pass out shotguns! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Bar Sinister Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 AARRRR!! if they be usin' inflatable boats, why not just harpoon the little bilge rats!? 'tis hard ta be piratin' & plunderin' when yer ship's deflatin' around ye!! best. post. ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scary Guy Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 GPS track the cargo. If a ship is lost, find the cargo, find the pirates. Wait till it gets back to their base, find the pirate base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaf The Horse With Tears Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Except we know where the base is already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttogreh Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Indeed, that is the crux of this issue. The Somali pirates are simply too small of a problem that are too easily bought off with insurance money for there to be strong international support to actually go in to Somalia and clear out the pirate nests. Four Somali pirates have one American captain in a lifeboat with no gas... with an American Warship fully capable of pacifying an entire city bearing down on it. The UN has authorized anti-piracy incursions into Somalia. Nobody has done it, because it's too much of a hassle for too small of a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitsMcGee Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 My dad used to sail deep sea on freighters like this, the only weapon allowed on board was a hand gun only the captain had access to. This was federal law, and the coast guard rules. I have a feeling this is going to change that now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jynxxxedangel Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Q-ships for the civilians..yesh. I just hope some other pirates are opportunistic enough to take those Somali c**ts' ships' flags down. *smiles and waves skirt, and lays down a chequered Jolly Roger at the pass* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homicidalheathen Posted April 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 best. post. ever! I second that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torn asunder Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 best. post. ever! hah! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scary Guy Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 My dad used to sail deep sea on freighters like this, the only weapon allowed on board was a hand gun only the captain had access to. This was federal law, and the coast guard rules. I have a feeling this is going to change that now. You'd think that wouldn't you, but no, this is just going to encourage them to break the law more. When the government won't protect you it's time to start protecting yourselves. Get enough guns and crap together and then go attack the pirates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttogreh Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Well, in the case of the "Maersk Alabama", I think the Somali pirates did not know it was a US flagged ship. Or at least did not realize it until it was too late. See, I just heard this on the news... the captain is safe. Three of the pirates are dead by US snipers, and the fourth is in custody. He was on the American warship "negotiating a settlement". Seriously... don't point your Ak-47 at an American citizen when a warship is 100 feet off your lifeboat. Yes, that is what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invictus Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 I know there are privatized pirate hunters and security companies opening up in some of these regions, but they aren't exactly swimming in business. The problem thus far has been the fact that it only takes one RPG to blow a hole in a freighter. Since the pirates tend to show up in multiple small craft, and RPG-7s are extremely common and cheap, a firefight would have to end quickly and overwhelmingly in the freighter's favor. The companies are more likely to get their ships back intact if a firefight does not occur, and have thus been reluctant to allow more leeway in their restrictions on armament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prick Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 I know there are privatized pirate hunters and security companies opening up in some of these regions, but they aren't exactly swimming in business. The problem thus far has been the fact that it only takes one RPG to blow a hole in a freighter. Since the pirates tend to show up in multiple small craft, and RPG-7s are extremely common and cheap, a firefight would have to end quickly and overwhelmingly in the freighter's favor. The companies are more likely to get their ships back intact if a firefight does not occur, and have thus been reluctant to allow more leeway in their restrictions on armament. You are correct, a ship is worth more then the cargo on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiko_Dreads Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Lets hear it for the U.S. Navy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homicidalheathen Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/200...crew.member.cnn watch the video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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