Saudi oil tanker captured by Pirates

snow hope · Post by **snow hope** » 17 Nov 2008, 13:21

In days of old, this would have caused the price to jump $10/bbl.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7733482.stm

Vortex · Post by **Vortex** » 17 Nov 2008, 14:03

Those pirates are going to get their bottoms spanked sooner or later ...

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 17 Nov 2008, 16:51

How do they do that? Climbing up the side of an oil tanker with an AK47 clenched between one's teeth can't be easy.

skeptik · Post by **skeptik** » 17 Nov 2008, 20:05

biffvernon wrote:How do they do that? Climbing up the side of an oil tanker with an AK47 clenched between one's teeth can't be easy.

Don't understand that either. While a supertanker is under way? How?

All it would take to deter any pirates is a guy in a golf cart patrolling the railings, with a heavy duty machine gun and a bag of RPG's. Advantage of the high ground - extra range, cover, a stable firing platform (unlike the pirates small boat). The guys on the bridge must be able to see small boats approaching.

The port of Eyl in Somalia is developing into the sort of place that Freetown used to be for pirates of the Caribbean back in the 1800's. The UN needs to get its s**t together and send a peacekeeping force in to sort the place out.

Bandidoz · Post by **Bandidoz** » 17 Nov 2008, 20:22

Dedication.....

Dedication.....

Dedication is what you need, when you want to be a record-breaker yeahhhhhhhh

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 17 Nov 2008, 20:26

According to the Herald Tribune report

Details of Saturday's attack were not known, but in past seizures, pirates have used ropes and ladders to climb the hull — and often on large ships, the crew don't notice them until it's too late. On the Sirius Star, the attackers likely would have had to scale about 10 meters (33 feet) from the water to the deck.

It was not clear if the Sirius Star had any armed security on board. In past attacks, alert crews have been able to fend off pirates trying to climb the sides, using water hoses to knock them away. But the pirates are able to strike back: In April, they punched a hole in the side of a Japanese oil tanker with a rocket-propelled grenade in an unsuccessful attempt to capture it.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/ ... jacked.php

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 17 Nov 2008, 20:32

Perhaps I have a naturally suspicious mind, but could they have paid for some help "on the inside"?

Filter Feeder · Post by **Filter Feeder** » 17 Nov 2008, 21:58

skeptik wrote:
biffvernon wrote:How do they do that? Climbing up the side of an oil tanker with an AK47 clenched between one's teeth can't be easy.
Don't understand that either. While a supertanker is under way? How?

All it would take to deter any pirates is a guy in a golf cart patrolling the railings, with a heavy duty machine gun and a bag of RPG's. Advantage of the high ground - extra range, cover, a stable firing platform (unlike the pirates small boat). The guys on the bridge must be able to see small boats approaching.

The port of Eyl in Somalia is developing into the sort of place that Freetown used to be for pirates of the Caribbean back in the 1800's. The UN needs to get its s**t together and send a peacekeeping force in to sort the place out.

Easy - point an RPG at the oil tanker and say "stop" over the VHF - or motor up and stick limpet mines onto the hull, plastique shape charges, whatever. I'm sure these guys have access to missiles too - they're making millions out of this racket and can afford to invest in future operations.

Supertankers can't take evasive action. Merchant ships don't carry weapons, and a ship over 1000ft long is quite a perimeter to patrol anyway.

SunnyJim · Post by **SunnyJim** » 17 Nov 2008, 22:40

I've been on the bridge of a supertanker. You couldn't spot a man (or woman) stood at the far end of it. You don't notice small boats approaching, in fact you don't even notice them as you knock them down. If you are in a small boat and you see a tanker on the horizon you have approx 12 minutes to get out of it's path. They are monsterously big. Patroling the perimeter of one of those would take many manned lookout stations, and motorbikes. Not an easy job at all.

willf · Post by **willf** » 18 Nov 2008, 07:38

merchant ships used to carry weapons. A god friend of mine was in the merchant navy 25 years ago. they got boarded in the Suez. He shot two pirates and just pushed them over the edge, never told anyone on the boat that he'd done it. Cold as ice.

maybe they didn't see the small boat because it was ... dark.

it is easy to forget or not realise just how big these boats are and how few people they have on board. I expect at night it's pretty much all on auto pilot.

SunnyJim · Post by **SunnyJim** » 18 Nov 2008, 10:19

The law (rules of the road) state that they must always have one man on look out on the bridge. He/she has to go to the toilet occasionally though. Some tankers have glass privies on the bridge to comply with the rules! I can't imagine you could really keep much of a lookout while taking a crap.

Post by **clv101** » 18 Nov 2008, 10:48

The 'solution' seems to be to have half a dozen well armed fighting men on the ship - this shouldn't be hard or expensive considering the value of the cargo.

Filter Feeder · Post by **Filter Feeder** » 18 Nov 2008, 10:52

An oil tanker is a very easy thing to blow gaping holes in,then you have a very big mess... These ships need escorts to keep small boats away from them - it's the only realistic solution

waermund · Post by **waermund** » 18 Nov 2008, 11:18

Wouldn't it be possible to organise some sort of escorted convoy system? As I understand it there are Royal Navy vessels out there, elements of the US 5th Fleet and even Russian Navy vessels.

I appreciate this could restrict commercial time tables etc, ie ships having to gather together prior to setting off - but how many weeks are they going to be laid up while hostage negotiations take place?

Just a thought

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 18 Nov 2008, 11:55

waermund wrote:even Russian Navy vessels.

The Russian Navy has been pretty active, sometimes working with the Royal Navy, attacking pirate boats with helicopters and boats from frigates.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gB7Y ... wD94DJS6O1

http://www.easybourse.com/bourse-actual ... den-562762