The Sirius Star made its maiden voyage in March of this year
Pirates have seized a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast and are steering it towards Somalia, the US Navy reports.
The US-bound tanker was captured on Saturday some 450 nautical miles south-east of the port of Mombasa, and is now approaching the Somali port of Eyl.
The Sirius Star is carrying its full load of 2m barrels - more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output.
Its international crew of 25, including two Britons, is said to be safe.
Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said the attack was "unprecedented".
It's the largest ship that we've seen pirated Lt Nathan Christensen US Navy spokesman
Life in Somalia's pirate town From cutlass to AK-47
According to the Navy, the ship is "nearing an anchorage point" at Eyl, a port often used by pirates based in Somalia's Puntland region.
War-torn Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991.
A BBC correspondent in Mombasa reports that this is the third tanker to have been hijacked in the region.
News of the attack raised crude oil prices on global markets following an earlier slump, Reuters news agency reported.
The US Navy told the BBC the capture of the tanker marked a fundamental shift in tactics.
Attacks on shipping off the Horn of Africa and Kenya by pirates, who are mostly Somali, prompted foreign navies to send warships to the area this year.
'Crew safe'
The supertanker was heading for the US via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, Reuters reports.
THE SIRIUS STAR The Sirius Star oil tanker (image from Aramco website) Nearly the length of a US aircraft carrier Weighs more than three times as much as a carrier when loaded Can carry 2 million barrels of oil - more than 25% of Saudi Arabia's daily output Is third tanker, and biggest vessel, to be hijacked in the region
Life in Somalia's pirate town
The route around the Cape of Good Hope is a main thoroughfare for fully-laden supertankers from the Gulf, the world's biggest oil-exporting region.
With a capacity of 318,000 dead weight tonnes, the ship is 330m (1,080ft) long and is classed as a Very Large Crude Carrier.
It is about as long as a US aircraft carrier and, when loaded, weighs more than three times as much.
"It's the largest ship that we've seen pirated," said Lt Christensen.
The South Korean-built Sirius Star, owned by the Saudi company Aramco, made its maiden voyage in March 2008.
The ship's operator, Vela International, said that all of the crew were reported to be safe.
"Vela response teams have been mobilised and are working to ensure the safe release of crew members and the vessel," it added.
Confirming that two Britons were aboard the tanker, the UK Foreign Office said it could not give any details of their role on the ship.
"We are seeking more information on the incident," a spokesman said.
The other crew are said to be from Croatia, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
Captive vessels
Figures from the International Maritime Bureau show that attacks in the area - the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the African coast - have made up one-third of all piracy incidents worldwide in 2008.
Map showing areas of pirate attacks
In the first nine months of the year 63 incidents were reported.
As of 30 September, 12 vessels remained captive and under negotiation with more than 250 crew being held hostage.
Pirates remain active and regularly strike in the region. In the past week alone:
• A Russian warship in the Gulf of Aden drove off pirates who tried to capture the Saudi Arabian merchant ship Rabih;
• Pirates hijacked a Japanese cargo ship off Somalia;
• A Chinese fishing boat was seized off the Kenyan coast;
• A Turkish ship transporting chemicals to India was hijacked off Yemen;
• The UK's Royal Navy shot dead two suspected pirates attacking a Danish cargo-ship off the coast of Yemen.
posted
Ironically, this only strengthens the justification for U.S. intervention in Somalia and east Africa.
It also adds to the long history of African pirates that goes back thousands of years. I mean who else would have monkeys as ship mates?
Posts: 8889 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Doug M: Ironically, this only strengthens the justification for U.S. intervention in Somalia and east Africa.
It also adds to the long history of African pirates that goes back thousands of years. I mean who else would have monkeys as ship mates?
Piracy goes back thousands of years for many races. Many old and wealthy families owe their fortunes to piracy. The Kennedys, the Rockefellows,.... They all had monkeys also. The US will be in Africa no matter what the Somalias or any others do, or not.
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Mmmkay: S This thread is retarded. Like so many others you start.
I understand where you are coming from. Many here do not wish to be ID'ed as carrying the Albino gene but, it's all good. Do not be afraid. It's just a recessive trait.
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Mmmkay: So piracy is cool now?
Because they are African?
This thread is retarded. Like so many others you start.
BTW are you African-american by any chance?
Is it cool? Do you think that stating Africans had pirates going back to ancient times and that many of the characteristics of modern pirates come from Africa makes it cool? NO. It is history. Much of the modern image of a pirate is a combination of Moorish, Turkish and African influence from the dread locked (braided) hair, the baggy striped pants, the monkey as a companion (monkeys don't come from Europe), the large saber/scimitar, Moorish/Asian hand cannon(pistol) and so forth. Johnny Depp in pirates of the Caribbean exudes African influence in costume dress and hairstyle, yet most people don't know that Disney does this all the time, just as the movie Prince Capsian had Moorish overtones. But most people don't know the symbolism or their history so they don't see it. It was during the time after the expulsion of the Moors that Africans and Turks were the epitome of pirates in the Mediterranean, not to mention the pirate tales and legends of Arabia (sinbad the sailor) and many others stretching from all across South Asia. Europeans were known to "turn turk" or convert to Islam and JOIN the pirates of the Mediterranean and this is how they picked up some of the African and Turkish traits seen in the modern view of pirates. Remember it was the Turks and Muslims who ruled the seas from Africa into Asia prior to the advent of the European "age of Exploration" and it was from the Muslim Africans, Turks,Arabians and others that Europeans LEARNED about Asia to begin with, not to mention navigation. Not only that, but the birth of the U.S. Marine corps is due to the actions of Barbary pirates in taking two ships captive, representing the pride of America's navy, in the 1770s, after which the Americans decided to stage a daring rescue in Libya.
Most modern piracy is taking place in the places it has always been found: off the coasts of Africa and in the seas of South Asia.
Posts: 8889 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I gotta admit, It is rather cool watching Africans jack that tanker the size of an Navy Aircraft carrier loaded with crude oil. Much cooler then watching Africans killing Africans so China, The US, Russia and Europe can jack Africa's oil and minerals, which is sort of like watching a 500 year old rerun.
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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Are you saying one of the largest oil ships is captured by 10 chicken legs skinny men? I mean, you have the Russians, Indian, NATO, French WAR SHIPS there. USE YOUR BRAIN!
Posts: 2198 | Registered: Jun 2006
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Are you saying one of the largest oil ships is captured by 10 chicken legs skinny men? I mean, you have the Russians, Indian, NATO, French WAR SHIPS there. USE YOUR BRAIN!
So, are you saying this is a setup?
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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posted
I'm going with Arwa on this, the whole thing seems like a deliberate attempt to cloud the real issue (American hegemony in E.Africa) with all this talk of "pirates" and the associated notions of African backwardness and barbarism it brings.
Just look at mmmkay's reply to this topic, it is exactly the type of bone-headed ignorant response whites "journalists" are looking with this sort of "reporting". Focus on "right" or "wrong" of piracy and ignore the real story: the weakness and unpopularity of the American stooge government there.
Posts: 4165 | From: jamaica | Registered: May 2008
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posted
LOL, I was impressed with the size of that vessel, and while it doesn't take a lot to hijack, getting it to anywhere to capitalize is nearly impossible.
What you say makes sense. This could very well be an US/Israel choreographed script. Still, neither really needed any Somalia pirates to place a permanent presence in Africa.
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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posted
They may need a pretext to send troops in to help out their Ethiopian proxies. What better excuse than to save western commerce and trade?
Posts: 4165 | From: jamaica | Registered: May 2008
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posted
The destruction of Somalia started back in 70s with the help of Arab countries [Egypt, Saudi Arabia]-- backed by America-- who persuade the Somali dictator -- who had no shortest of elusions of grandeur-- to wag war against Ethiopia, and they promised to help him, but they never did.That is where the sin began.
Posts: 2198 | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote: One, it was United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' last engagement with his NATO counterparts. Unsurprisingly, there was curiosity whether Gates would bring to bear on NATO's Afghan war any new thinking. But that was not to be, as a strategy review is still underway in Washington.
Two, it emerged that the alliance sanctioned more muscle power for the war by authorizing NATO to use force against Afghan poppy cultivators and drug traffickers - a controversial decision which troubles many member countries.
Three, the Budapest meet deliberated on issues regarding the transformation of the alliance. Despite the global financial crisis, there was no loss of US hegemony. The NATO-Georgia Commission, created at the US's insistence, met on October 10 for the first time and the alliance reiterated its commitment to continue the supervisory process set in hand at the Bucharest summit in April "with a view to Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations". A somewhat vague formulation short of Tbilisi's expectation, but a step forward nonetheless on the path of the alliance's expansion as charted by the US.
posted
Piracy has ALWAYS been used by governments as a means to promote their own agendas in international politics and trade. The Turks did it with the barbary pirates. The British did it with the Atlantic pirates, so it would not be unusual to see some government backing these groups here. Within recent history (last 1000 years) maritime piracy has almost ALWAYS been supported by governments for one purpose or another in the international arena.
Posts: 8889 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by akoben: They may need a pretext to send troops in to help out their Ethiopian proxies. What better excuse than to save western commerce and trade?
Although, the plot could not work without the direct support of neighboring African leaders.
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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Have you noticed the almost break of civil war in Kenya after the election and you had the Western countries and the UN tried everything to save the country -- same thing with Zimbabwe -- but no one gives a **** about Somalia.
Posts: 2198 | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
^ Good article. It puts the "concern" over so-called Somali piracy into context.
quote:Although, the plot could not work without the direct support of neighboring African leaders.
That wouldn't be too hard to get. In any event, based on the article Arwa posted, I think the plot has the broader goals of curbing China's influence in Africa.
Posts: 4165 | From: jamaica | Registered: May 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Arwa: ok, this is the latest update and please notice the size of pirate ship ( a dot !!)
This is not as shocking as it sounds. Even though the ships are huge, they only have a handful of crew members. The ship is mainly cargo, with a navigator, captain, cook and various deck hands on board to steer and make sure everything stays ship shape. These crews are often unarmed and a few small pirate boats with RPGs, rockets and assault weapons could easily subdue them. It isn't the size of the boat that counts, it is what and WHO is on it. This would not happen to an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship for the obvious reasons....
Posts: 8889 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Yes, and it's strange how reports state they don't know exactly where the ship is since they all have GPS and Loran-C tracking systems.
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Doug M: This is not as shocking as it sounds. Even though the ships are huge, they only have a handful of crew members. The ship is mainly cargo, with a navigator, captain, cook and various deck hands on board to steer and make sure everything stays ship shape. These crews are often unarmed and a few small pirate boats with RPGs, rockets and assault weapons could easily subdue them. It isn't the size of the boat that counts, it is what and WHO is on it. This would not happen to an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship for the obvious reasons....
lol dougy really believes in the ability of his Moorish Somali pirates.
Posts: 4165 | From: jamaica | Registered: May 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Arwa: ok, this is the latest update and please notice the size of pirate ship ( a dot !!)
This is not as shocking as it sounds. Even though the ships are huge, they only have a handful of crew members. The ship is mainly cargo, with a navigator, captain, cook and various deck hands on board to steer and make sure everything stays ship shape. These crews are often unarmed and a few small pirate boats with RPGs, rockets and assault weapons could easily subdue them. It isn't the size of the boat that counts, it is what and WHO is on it. This would not happen to an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship for the obvious reasons....
You have to admit an impressive job done for a 5m pirate speedboat. I'm not saying it's a good thing they did, I'm just saying.
Posts: 368 | From: Oxford | Registered: Jan 2008
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-------------------- Without data you are just another person with an opinion - Deming Posts: 12143 | From: When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable | Registered: Jun 2007
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quote:Originally posted by akoben: ^ Good article. It puts the "concern" over so-called Somali piracy into context.
quote:Although, the plot could not work without the direct support of neighboring African leaders.
That wouldn't be too hard to get. In any event, based on the article Arwa posted, I think the plot has the broader goals of curbing China's influence in Africa.
This is quite possibly the brightest post ever posted by akoben08.
Speaking of brightness, I have a feeling this could possibly backfire ... don't want to speak on it right now though.
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
There is not time for LOL!! And if you think the radioactive waste and plundering in the fish water only happens in Somalia, think again! Ask the local people in Nigeria, Gabon or Cameron.
So far this year, at least two dozen vessels have been boarded and seized by armed men off the coast of Somalia, the latest a Saudi Arabian supertanker capable of carrying two million barrels of oil. I'm avoiding using the term "pirates" because there is lots of piracy going on in Somali waters, most of it committed, not by Somalis, but by foreigners from around the globe. The northeast African nation, with 2,000 miles of coastline, once boasted some of the richest fisheries in the world, swarming with tuna, lobster, shark, shrimp and whitefish. But there has been no effective government in Somalia since 1991 and, therefore, no Somali coast guard to protect the fishing grounds from marauding foreign vessels. How much damage has been done by over fishing is unknown - foreigners sail into the fisheries as if they own them, and take what they wish.
Webster's Dictionary defines piracy as "robbery on the high seas." By that definition, Somalia is the victim of pirates from all over the world. According to the United Nations, these foreign "fish pirates" plunder Somali waters from about 700 vessels - an armada of commercial buccaneers.
Before Somalia descended into chaos, 30,000 fishermen made their livings from the sea. But they can't compete with the modern, foreign vessels, and there is no one to keep the commercial fish pirates out.
Some foreign fishing interests make their own deals, purchasing fishing "licenses" from warlords purporting to represent authority on behalf of Somalia. That's very much like the "diplomacy" practiced by white settlers in the colonial and early United States, when they made "treaties" with bogus Indian "chiefs" who signed away Native American land for trinkets and liquor.
Local and clan militias have replaced national authority in Somalia, which is partially occupied by the Ethiopian military. The Ethiopian invasion and occupation, instigated by the United States in late 2006, has displaced millions, many of whom face starvation. The coastal fishermen are also members of militias. Western media call them pirates, but as one armed sailor told the New York Times: "Think of us like a coast guard."
Somebody needs to guard Somali's water resources, but it certainly isn't the Americans. The U.S. Fifth Fleet, of the U.S. Navy's Central Command, patrols the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean - Somalia's neighborhood. It also bombs Somalis that resist the Ethiopian occupation and targets people the U.S. claims have ties to Al Qaida. But the American fleet does little to interfere with the illegal dumping of radioactive waste in Somali waters or any other crimes against the environment and Somalia's national treasure and sovereignty.
When it comes to piracy, Somalis are on balance the victims rather than the perpetrators. It is estimated that foreigners poach $300 million from Somali fisheries each year. Somalia's armed sailors extort about one-third that amount - $100 million - from the owners of captured ships. So, who are the real pirates?
The United States helped Ethiopia hijack the entire Somali nation: an international crime against peace. Uncle Sam is the biggest pirate of them all.
For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.
Posts: 2198 | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote: In the early 1990s, for example, Somalia's unpatrolled waters became a cost-free dumping ground for industrial waste from Europe. Fishing boats from Italy were reported to have ferried barrels of toxic materials to Somalia's shores and then returned home laden with illicit catches of fish. Rusting containers of hazardous waste washed up on Somali beaches as recently as 2005, after a powerful tsunami roared through.
But fish poaching has proved far more devastating to Somalis, environmental officials say.
"It's been like a long gold rush for Thai, European, Yemeni and Korean boats," said Abdulwali Abdulrahman Gayre, the vice minister of ports and fisheries for Puntland, a dusty, semiautonomous state in northern Somalia that is the bastion of the pirates.
"We have some of the richest fishing grounds in the world," said Gayre. "Scientists say it is like a rain forest of fish. But our fishermen can't compete with the foreigners in big ships who come to steal from our waters."
posted
Arwa, I was laughing at Alive's last comment, not at Somalians.
I just don't see the need to get worked up over these things anymore. Unless solutions are being proposed or implemented, I'm just not feeling it.
Posts: 3423 | From: the jungle - when y'all stop playing games, call me. | Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
^ how many people know the toxic waste? That is my point -- I am going to write a letter to news editors.
Posts: 2198 | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
The more I read about this incident, the less I believe it is some US conspiracy, but rather poor Africans getting appropriate payback on those who steal Africa's resources.
For those making excuses that Africans can't possibly be taking these actions on their own, as if they were too stupid or docile, perhaps you'd better think again. They may not be all Somalians, but they are certainly Africans hijacking Asian, Russian, and Arabs cargo. As world economic conditions worsen, I wouldn't be surprised if you see Africans begin to hijack diamond and gold mines also.
Posts: 3595 | From: Moved To Mars. Waiting with shotgun | Registered: Dec 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Arwa: ^ how many people know the toxic waste? That is my point -- I am going to write a letter to news editors.
And good point, i'm gonna try and help spread the message cuz i sho didn't know.
quote:Originally posted by Herukhuti: I just don't see the need to get worked up over these things anymore. Unless solutions are being proposed or implemented, I'm just not feeling it.
wow .. it's that wavelength thing again. We on the same page, bruh
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
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quote:Originally posted by meninarmer: The more I read about this incident, the less I believe it is some US conspiracy, but rather poor Africans getting appropriate payback on those who steal Africa's resources.
For those making excuses that Africans can't possibly be taking these actions on their own, as if they were too stupid or docile, perhaps you'd better think again. They may not be all Somalians, but they are certainly Africans hijacking Asian, Russian, and Arabs cargo. As world economic conditions worsen, I wouldn't be surprised if you see Africans begin to hijack diamond and gold mines also.
My sentiments exactly, Meninarmer. Also, in regard to repossessing diamond and gold mines, I truly hope this happens. That could be the start of a new revolution which is long overdue. BTW, Delta Force and Army Rangers are some of the most elite special forces in the world, yet it was the Somalis who gave them all they could handle.
Posts: 148 | From: Sirius | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
I really hope [actually praying to happen], Meninarmer. Already in West Africa, pirates were spotted in large parts of trade routes. There was a documentary on TV about Spanish/Chinese illegal fishing in Ghana where literally destroyed the livelihoods of these fishermen, and it was heartbreaking to watch how the only fish type they could get was fish fodder -- it was disgraceful, and especially for elderly men.
quote:Originally posted by meninarmer: The more I read about this incident, the less I believe it is some US conspiracy, but rather poor Africans getting appropriate payback on those who steal Africa's resources.
For those making excuses that Africans can't possibly be taking these actions on their own, as if they were too stupid or docile, perhaps you'd better think again. They may not be all Somalians, but they are certainly Africans hijacking Asian, Russian, and Arabs cargo. As world economic conditions worsen, I wouldn't be surprised if you see Africans begin to hijack diamond and gold mines also.
posted
Is that why Somali men fight by hiding behind the skirts of Somali women? The Army Rangers said it, not me. : )
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