Pirates Drowning Delays Release Of Tanker
By Wyatt Earp | January 10, 2009
Oh, that’s a shame. And by that I mean it is a shame one of the five pirates survived.
NAIROBI, Kenya — Pirates on a seized Saudi-owned oil supertanker are delaying release of the ship despite receiving a ransom because of a fatal drowning accident that killed four of their colleagues, a journalist who spoke with one of the pirates told CNN.
Okay, screw that. The idiot Saudis paid the ransom, now release the damned tanker! You can collect your dead afterward.
The pirates had been expected to release the Sirius Star, which they’ve held since November 15, after a ransom payment was parachuted onto the ship.
Why are people cowing to these bastards’ demands? Get up off your tails, find some heavy artillery, and murder these animals where they stand! Send a message! Stick up for yourselves, you pansies!
The journalist told CNN that the pirate who spoke said four pirates drowned after a skiff carrying leaving the Sirius Star capsized due to rough seas. Sea charts showed that waves in the area were reaching 5 to 7 feet at the time.
There were five pirates in the skiff and one survived, the journalist said. The bodies of the other four were recovered, he said, adding that this will delay the exit of the pirates still remaining on board the ship and thus affect the ship’s release after payment of the ransom.
The tanker was carrying two million barrels of crude oil worth about $100 million when pirates hijacked it off the coast of Somalia. (H/T – CNN)
Does anyone out there really think that if the ransoms are continually paid the pirates will just stop and retire on a beach somewhere? No? Then why the Hell are people not putting boot to ass here?
Topics: Snarkasm | 9 Comments »
January 10th, 2009 at 9:07 am
“Sea charts showed that waves in the area were reaching 5 to 7 feet at the time.”
Doesn’t sound terribly rough to me. Especially for an ocean going skiff. Hell, the crab fishermen in the Bering Sea think nothing of 30 foot waves on their 100 foot ships. Bunch of wussies.
January 10th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Now all you deed is one more dead pirate. Back in the good old days pirates never drowned at sea. These pirates suck. What ever happened to looting, pillaging and burning the ship if you did not have the crew for it?
January 10th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
They try to keep the pirates from boarding their ship with fire hoses, because international law doesn’t allow the arming of civilian ships. The pirate problem is another example of failed gun control. The pirates don’t care they are breaking the law by going arm. The solution is a concealed gun permit for commercial ships that will allow them to pack anything from heavy machine guns, to five inch naval guns.
My personal recommendation is that every ship carry a radar controlled 20mm that fires automatically on anything that gets too close when you are in pirate infested waters. Problem solved.
January 10th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
“IF you are going to do a job, DO IT PROPERLY”
How about:
http://www.mindfully.org/Technology/2006/M134-Gatling-Livermore3feb06.htm
(notice photot of it mounted on a ship further down) or
http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/2003/GAU-8-Avenger.htm
January 10th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
As long as insurance companies are willing to pony up, and merchants are not allowed to be armed, it will continue. IF (and it’s already in progress) some companies get contracts to protect ships, you will see a dramatic change in the next 90-180 days in the survival rate of said pirates… The only problem with the GAU-8 is ammo costs ($18/round) Personally, I think folks are going with an M134D mounted on the bridge wings
January 10th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
OK Happy with what Old NFO says. Perhaps stick with the first option but thinking about cost:
How much was the cargo worth – $100,000,000
and the ransom – $3,000,000
and the ship has still not been released.
How many rounds would it take to see off the pirates?
January 10th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Joated – It’s exactly the reason why I love Deadliest Catch!
Admiral – Terrible excuses for pirates if I ever saw one. Captain Jack Sparrow would be ashamed.
Marvin – And as an added bonus, they can shoot up some dinner. Mmm . . . bullet-laden crabs!
Alan B – Nothing wrong with a little (or a lot of) firepower!
Old NFO – I’m all for whatever gets the pirates into watery graves.
January 10th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Ironically Pirate ranked ABOVE both Police Officer and Firefighter on the best / worst list.
January 11th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
M134D? Nice, but a classier alternative might be a repro Gatling in 30-06 or 45-70.
Quoth Rooster Cogburn, ‘Depitty, show ‘em.”