Russian tanker hi-jacked, warship sent
 

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Somali pirates hijacked a Russian tanker carrying $52 million worth of crude oil and 23 crew on Wednesday, prompting Russia to send a warship to try to deal with the incident, officials said.

Pirates who hijacked the China-bound, Russian-owned MV Moscow University tanker 350 miles off the coast of Yemen warned against any rescue attempt, saying this would endanger the Russian crew.

"A Russian warship is moving toward the tanker," Russian defense ministry spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov said. The Chief of the Russian General Staff cut short a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels to coordinate the military's response, he added.

The vessel had been traveling under a Liberian flag from Sudan to the Chinese port of Nigbo with 86,000 tonnes of oil owned by Chinese refiner Unipec, a Russian shipping source said. Maritime experts said the tanker had a deadweight of 106,474 tonnes.

"The crew members locked themselves in the radar room. This ship has been hijacked," Commander Rear Admiral Jan Thornqvist of the European Union's Navfor naval force told reporters in the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

Somali sea bandits continue to outwit an international fleet of warships in the busy shipping lane linking Europe with Asia, raking in tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.

One pirate who identified himself as Abdi said the tanker was heading to a pirate haven on the coast of central Somalia.

"Any attempt to rescue the ship will certainly endanger the crew. The ship will be docked at Garacad," Abdi told Reuters by telephone, adding it was too early to talk about a ransom.

NO ATTACK PLANNED

Russia's permanent representative to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said the warship would not attack the tanker as the safety of the crew was the top priority, Interfax news agency reported.

The ship will reach the tanker at around 2100 GMT, he said.

Some oil tankers are sailing around southern Africa and further east into the Indian Ocean away from Somalia's coastline to avoid the Gulf of Aden and pirates who are striking deeper out at sea, shipping experts say.

But many are running the gauntlet through the busy Gulf of Aden shipping lane, where warships operate convoys and have set up transit corridors. The tanker had not registered with the Maritime Security Center Horn of Africa, EU NAVFOR said.

The use of mother ships has enabled Somali pirates to strike as far as the Mozambique Channel and off India's coast in recent months, launching smaller boats known as skiffs against ships.

About 7 percent of world oil consumption passes through the Gulf of Aden.

Last weekend, Somali insurgent group Hizbul Islam seized the pirate haven of Haradheere and pledged to take control of more towns in the region, the rebel group said.

So, would the Russians flex the muscle or meow like a pussycat?

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Why do countries let these guys bully them around...

Start carrying troops on the ships for a bit and freaking waste those clowns...

You're right Gheyhawk.


By the way when the Big12 dissolves you guys can join the Valley but only if you can prove you can beat Bradley and UNI. You wouldn't want to get embarrassed.

It is well known where all these hi-jacked tankers being kept. The Russians had been known to be ruthless toward hi-jackers and very much disregarded the victims' lives in the past.

One of these days some country is going to rearrange the coastline of Somalia and when they do I'm going to laugh.

Wow. That's Balls:eek:

A simple weapons locker with a few machine guns would do the trick. It's not like you need 16 inch guns to fight off a bunch of bony douchebags in a speedboat.

Jesus Christ, this is ridiculous. :shake:

The Somali are about to get introduce to the Spetsnaz.

That made me laugh...

Its coming.. Someone is going to get sick and tired of this shit and unleash the phury....

They're starting to catch on... the first "fight back" by hired guns happened in march:

(AP) Private security guards shot and killed a Somali pirate during an attack on a merchant ship off the coast of East Africa in what is believed to be the first such killing by armed contractors, the EU Naval Force spokesman said Wednesday.

The death comes amid fears that increasingly aggressive pirates and the growing use of armed private security contractors on board vessels could fuel increased violence on the high seas.

Crews are becoming increasingly adept at repelling attacks by pirates in the dangerous waters of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. But pirates are becoming more aggressive in response, shooting bullets and rocket-propelled grenades at ships to try to intimidate captains into stopping.

Several organizations, including the International Maritime Bureau, have expressed fears that the use of armed security contractors could encourage pirates to be more violent when taking a ship. Sailors have been hurt or killed before but this generally happens by accident or through poor health. There has only been one known execution of a hostage despite dozens of pirate hijackings.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n6328247.shtml

Its about time someone steps us and corrects the problem....

:facepalm:

WTF are you talking about?

Liked that one didn't ya'? Out of left field. Stinger. :)

Please notify me when you know WTF he's talking about.

These pirates are the perfect target for just about any country's weapons program. No one on Earth would feel sorry for these dipshits if some country went on a rampage and just annihilated them all.

WTF indeed....