Russian tanker hi-jacked, warship sent

[Msmith]

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?

Link

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

These Somali dumbasses must have been wearing their bad-idea loin cloths that day.


Somalia would be better redecorated with fire.

It wouldnt take much or many Navy vessels in that area to protect the ships...

[RippedmyFlesh]

Use somalia as a place to test new weapon systems.
Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

[beer bacon]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

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

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

These are commercial vessels getting hijacked, and the people calling the shots are just looking to make a profit. Most of the time they figure it is much cheaper to just pay a ransom then to risk the ship and its cargo being destroyed, or the the crew being killed.

[boogblaster]

Does the name Blackwater ring a bell ...

[pr_capone]

Well.... so much for those fearsome Somali pirates.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...=moreheadlines

Russian special forces storm oil tanker, free ship

By KATHARINE HOURELD
The Associated Press
Thursday, May 6, 2010; 10:29 AM

ABOARD THE SWEDISH WARSHIP CARLSKRONA -- Russian special forces rappelled onto a disabled oil tanker taken over by Somali pirates and freed 23 Russian sailors early Thursday, the commander of the EU Naval Force said. Ten pirates were arrested and one was killed.

The raid on the Liberian-flagged ship Moscow University came 24 hours after pirates had taken the ship over and the crew locked itself in a safe room. The vessel is carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil worth about $50 million.

The special forces had been aboard the Russian anti-submarine destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov, which rushed to the scene after Wednesday's seajacking. A helicopter was dispatched to investigate and was fired on by the pirates, EU Naval Force said. The Russian warship returned fire on the pirates, it said.

Special forces troops on the helicopter rappelled down to the Moscow University, Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist, force commander of the EU Naval Force, told an Associated Press reporter aboard the warship Carlskrona, which on Thursday was 500 miles (800 kilometers) west of Thursday's rescue and was sailing toward Somali waters.

Ten pirates were detained and one pirate was killed, the Russian state news agency ITAR-Tass cited Vladimir Markin as saying. Markin is the spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee. There are wounded pirates, he said without giving details.

Russian officials were preparing for the pirates to be delivered to Moscow to face criminal charges, Markin said.

The crew of the Moscow University had previously told officials they believed the pirates were trying to enter the engine room, Thornqvist said. The ship had been disabled and was not moving. Safe rooms, where crews seek shelter, are typically stocked with food, water and communications equipment and have reinforced doors that can only be opened from the inside.

The ship's owner, Novoship, said the decision to free the ship was made knowing "that the crew was under safe cover inaccessible to the pirates and that the lives and health of the sailors was not threatened by anything."

Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force, called the rescue "an excellent operation all around." He said the EU Naval Force had been working at a tactical level with the Russians, and that EU Naval Force personnel talked to the Russian crew by VHF radio. He said the EU had offered support to the Russians.

The attack occurred about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of the Somali coast as the Moscow University sailed from the Red Sea to China, the ship's owner said. Novoship is a subsidiary of Sovcomflot, which is owned by the Russian government.

The military intervention follows a trend. International military forces have been more aggressively combating piracy. EU Naval Force ships are disrupting pirate groups and destroying their ships at a much higher rate than in previous years. U.S. warships have fired back on pirates and destroyed their boats in several skirmishes in the last several weeks.

In February, Danish special forces prevented the hijacking of a ship after pirates had boarded it. Special forces from the Danish Absalon boarded the Ariella while the crew locked themselves in a secure room.

Still, pirates are holding more than 300 hostages taken from ships off East Africa in the last several months.

On Wednesday, a French prosecutor said a French rescuer was responsible for killing the skipper of a sailboat hijacked by Somali pirates during a rescue operation.

Chief prosecutor Hever Pavy in the western French city of Rennes said investigators found a French military bullet had killed Florent Lemacon in April 2009 when a special intervention team came to rescue his yacht, the Tanit, off the Somali coast.

Four other hostages were saved after a week on the hijacked ship. Three suspected pirates who survived the rescue operation are on trial in France.

[Bugeater]

Ha ha, awesome. The 'safe room' is a great idea. One would think the pirates would've bailed from the ship once they figured out they wouldn't be going anywhere with it. Dumbasses.

[Pants]

Dear pirates,

GG GLHF

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by ChiefaRoo

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.

FAIL. Wrong thread dumbass.

[vailpass]

On Wednesday, a French prosecutor said a French rescuer was responsible for killing the skipper of a sailboat hijacked by Somali pirates during a rescue operation.

Chief prosecutor Hever Pavy in the western French city of Rennes said investigators found a French military bullet had killed Florent Lemacon in April 2009 when a special intervention team came to rescue his yacht, the Tanit, off the Somali coast.


USA: succesfully liberates hijacked 100,000 ton cargo ship while killing or capturing all pirates
Russia: succesfully liberates 84,000 ton hijacked oil super tanker while killing 1 and captruing 10 pirates
France: puts a bullet in the head of the captain of the 10 ton sailboat they are supposed to be rescuing

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by vailpass

On Wednesday, a French prosecutor said a French rescuer was responsible for killing the skipper of a sailboat hijacked by Somali pirates during a rescue operation.

Chief prosecutor Hever Pavy in the western French city of Rennes said investigators found a French military bullet had killed Florent Lemacon in April 2009 when a special intervention team came to rescue his yacht, the Tanit, off the Somali coast.


USA: succesfully liberates hijacked 100,000 ton cargo ship while killing or capturing all pirates
Russia: succesfully liberates 84,000 ton hijacked oil super tanker while killing 1 and captruing 10 pirates
France: puts a bullet in the head of the captain of the 10 ton sailboat they are supposed to be rescuing

True, but at least the french managed to off a couple of the pirates as well (and captured 3 more).

The kicker? The skipper (and his wife/kid) took off towards the area to escape a 'consumer and routine' society.

So the lesson? If you go all French-hippy and go sailing into freakin' pirate infested waters, you just might get shot in the head.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

True, but at least the french managed to off a couple of the pirates as well (and captured 3 more).

The kicker? The skipper (and his wife/kid) took off towards the area to escape a 'consumer and routine' society.

So the lesson? If you go all French-hippy and go sailing into freakin' pirate infested waters, you just might get shot in the head.

[GoHuge]

This is why I love America. Capture one of our ships..........the crew takes it upon themselves and stabs and takes one of those skinny bastards hostage. They take the captain hostage which was a really dumb idea. A few days later Navy SEALs HALO jump at night to "deal" with these ****ers. We run them out of fuel and when it was time 3 simultaneous shots..........three dead pirates. Sent a very strong message we are not to be trifled with. I was so proud of they way it was handled. Highjack an American flagged ship=murder, death, kill.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

It wouldnt take much or many Navy vessels in that area to protect the ships...

The Somalian coast is very long, and it's a big ocean.

[Amnorix]

It's really pretty unfortunate that any pirates are captured. In this case, it would be better if 18th century justice could prevail.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

It's really pretty unfortunate that any pirates are captured. In this case, it would be better if 18th century justice could prevail.

I agree.

Life in prison in the states is a hell of a lot better than the 4 or 5 more years they'd have had in Somalia before they starved or died of disease. Imprisoning those guys is a step up, not a deterrance.

If I were Somalian, I'm pretty sure I'd just hijack some random US ship, kill the first guy I saw on it, then turn myself in.