American's hijacked by Pirates!

[Broseph]

(CNN) -- Pirates attacked a U.S. cargo ship off the coast of Somalia carrying food aid to East Africa and may have hijacked the vessel, which was carrying 20 American crew members, according to the company that owns the vessel.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the Obama administration is aware of the situation.

"The White House is closely monitoring the apparent hijacking of the U.S.-flagged ship in the Indian Ocean and assessing a course of action to resolve this situation," Gibbs said. "Our top priority is the personal safety of the crew members on board."

The U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked about 500 kilometers (310 miles) off Somalia's coast, according to a statement from Maersk Line Ltd.

The company said it believes the vessel may have been hijacked. If so, it would be the sixth hijacking over the past week.

The ship was attacked about 7:30 a.m. when the nearest U.S. Navy warship was about 300 nautical miles away, goverment sources said. On Tuesday, the U.S. Navy warned mariners that pirates were attacking ships extending hundreds of miles offshore.

The cargo ship is owned and operated by a Maersk subsidiary in Norfolk, Virginia, Maersk spokesman Michael Storgaard said. He would not provide any details about the security arrangements on board the Maersk Alabama.

"We have very strict policies on the vessel ... crews are trained to handle these types of situations," Storgaard said from Maersk's headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/08/ship.hijacked/index.html

arg!!

[Sprite09]

arrrrrrrrrr Somali pirates

http://www.piratemerch.com/images/Kitty_pirate_black.jpg

[mcplar]

natural selection.... soon countries will not send 'aid' to somalia until they get control of these idiots.

[snoopdawgz]

:twisted:

[CSK'sMom]

CNN is reporting that the Pentagon just released a statement saying that the crew of the ship has reportedly regained control over "most" of the ship. They apparently have 1 pirate in custody onboard and the other 3 have fled the ship, possibly are in the water. It will be at least 12 hrs before the closest US navel ship can reach the area...

[corrupt123]

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/ch-53e/images/CH-53E_1.jpg

280 km/h cruise speed
1000km Range (With in-air refueling capability)
37 troop capacity


C'mon lets use some of our toyssssssssssssssssss

(well, the u.s.'s anyway)

[whampoa]

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marines.

Yeah, send in the US Marines, a third Barbary War is in order.

[loho33]

Can someone explain why these cargo ships aren't armed with homing-guided RPG, grenades, machine guns, etc?

If you see anything coming near you...you mow the fockers down.

[CSK'sMom]

CNN is now reporting the latest statement from the Pentagon is saying that the crew is in control of the ship but the 3 pirates not captured are holding the Captain hostage in a lifeboat...

[rilles]

Can someone explain why these cargo ships aren't armed with homing-guided RPG, grenades, machine guns, etc?

If you see anything coming near you...you mow the fockers down.

The pirates will just up the ante and get bigger guns and shoot first and be more likely to kill the crew who are not typically weapon experts.

[whampoa]

Or do like the Chinese did, use Molotov cocktails and shoe sandals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7791901.stm

[Si98]

You don't hold an American cargo ship hostage. You just don't.

[Talamasca]

I remember watching a story on BBC a few months ago about the rampant pirating off the coast of Somalia. I know the British have some patrol ships in the area and the U.S. has got to have an entire battlefleet in the general area. Probably not the best idea to mess with them.

[davebert]

Here is another perspective of the pirate problem. It seems international companies are illegally dumping toxic waste and fishing in Somalia waters. That does not excuse what the pirates are doing now, but there has been no international efforts in policing Somalia waters to stop the illegal dumping and fishing. In fact I think the current international efforts are only focused on piracy. International companies are still free to do their illegal dumping and fishing off Somali waters which basically stealing from the Somali people and costing them hundreds of millions of dollars per year in lost revenue. Here is the link to the CBC report.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/popup_nlp.html?http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/news/features/schlesinger-pirate-090406.wmv

[ephemera]

How ironic would it be if the pirates hijacked a ship full of pirate dvd's?

[CSK'sMom]

Only in today's media driven society.....

A crew member onboard the ship phoned into CNN. Apparently the pirates duped the crew big time. They all made a deal to exchange hostages (the pirate and the Captain) but surprise... the pirates didn't release the Captain when the crew released the pirate. Now they are saying a US Navel ship can be on location in about 3 hrs. The crew member is also saying that they sank the pirates vessel which is why they have the cargo ships life boat.

[ZenOps]

Was just a matter of time before the US got one of their ships ganked.

Photo of the Captain from 1979? Comeon - what sort of background check is that?

[Justin]

Only in today's media driven society.....

A crew member onboard the ship phoned into CNN. Apparently the pirates duped the crew big time. They all made a deal to exchange hostages (the pirate and the Captain) but surprise... the pirates didn't release the Captain when the crew released the pirate. Now they are saying a US Navel ship can be on location in about 3 hrs. The crew member is also saying that they sank the pirates vessel which is why they have the cargo ships life boat.

It is going to be interesting to see what happens with the US Navy arrives. :lol:

[TapemanPL]

How ironic would it be if the pirates hijacked a ship full of pirate dvd's?

Pirated DVDs or pirate DVDs. Pirate DVDs would be awesome, like a full ship loaded with pirate movies... Or both! Pirated pirate DVDs

[laptop-tech]

I think Somalia wants to be a voluntary for the next nuclear tests conducted by the US.

[gmark2000]

Americans not "American's". The possessive is not required for the thread title.

[Rishi]

The pirates will just up the ante and get bigger guns and shoot first and be more likely to kill the crew who are not typically weapon experts.
Bigger ships hold bigger guns. The small high-speed vessels used by the pirates will never be able to out-gun a cargo ship. And when your cargo is worth millions, I'm sure you can afford to hire some private military contractors who know what they're doing.

[ndrew029]

Can someone explain why these cargo ships aren't armed with homing-guided RPG, grenades, machine guns, etc?

If you see anything coming near you...you mow the fockers down.

The Soviets actually secretly had their cargo ships armed with nuclear weapons during the Cold War era. It wouldn't be the first time in history that civilians were given control of military grade weapons.

[Sprite09]

It would be cool if the Americans sent a decoy freighter, but on board it was about 100 soldiers with weapons.

[corrupt123]

The Soviets actually secretly had their cargo ships armed with nuclear weapons during the Cold War era. It wouldn't be the first time in history that civilians were given control of military grade weapons.

Links/sources/proof?

[Matrixvibe]

i heard this over 680 news, i thought they were talking about piracy at first, even pirates of the carribean...haha

[hi-tech]

Where's the RIAA now? Go Somali pirates!

:confused:

[joeym]

http://rookery2.viary.com/storagev12/610500/610862_94a3_625x625.jpg

[ndrew029]

Links/sources/proof?

The Pentagon knew of the capability of the Soviet cargo ships to transport nuclear weapons and potentially use them. Just take a look at their secrecy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[Sogeking]

they wanted to become the pirate king
http://www.bro-usa.com/wholesale/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/66964a493eec20ebc412dc4c3f19fda1.gif

[ZenOps]

And in totally unrelated news:

http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/09/somali-women-flocking-to-ports-in-hope-of-marrying-pirates/

"Somali women flocking to port in hope of marrying pirates"

[45ED]

And in totally unrelated news:

http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/09/somali-women-flocking-to-ports-in-hope-of-marrying-pirates/

"Somali women flocking to port in hope of marrying pirates"

Subjective to a possible Western POV, some might think of it as nuts. But taking what that article has into consideration - desperate poverty and the like - I can see why they would hope to marry a pirate. It is one of those "what have you got to lose" situations.

[sheilab]

Insurance for ships in the area has gone up 10x.

Would it not make good business sense to get professional soldiers (mercenaries) on each cargo ship. The pirates are nowhere near professional grade and a small mercenary force with long range weapons should easily take care of the pirates.

[Peckerwood]

Can someone explain why these cargo ships aren't armed with homing-guided RPG, grenades, machine guns, etc?
Fine for international waters...no rules regarding armaments. Not fine though when in someone else's port in their waters...rules change immediately, and some have certain rules regarding weapons on board.

:)

[Nemodigital]

They should just shell the town that these pirates come from until this foolishness ends. A bunch of rag-tag thieves are making a mockery of the US Navy, an 18th century problem deserves and 18th century solution.

[ivica5683]

CNN most trusted news source just released a picture of the pirates.



http://www.piratemerch.com/images/pirate_toys_39_1862.jpg

[st7860]

they should just run convoys like world war 2.

[Justin]

I just heard on the news the captain jumped out during the night and started swimming, but was re-captured. Was the US Navy sleeping or something? With the captain in the water swimming, would that not have been the ideal time to blow the life boat to pieces?

[rb]

never in the history of the world has so much money been spent on so many ineffective navies - what a waste

[gmark2000]

never in the history of the world has so much money been spent on so many ineffective navies - what a waste

So the patrolling navies should blow up every fishing boat in the area just to be effective?

[Sprite09]

Wonder what they are going to do after this finishes? Patrol boat escort with freighters? or will sailors be allowed to carry guns and have a panic room on the ship?

[partytime2009]

They should just shell the town that these pirates come from until this foolishness ends. A bunch of rag-tag thieves are making a mockery of the US Navy, an 18th century problem deserves and 18th century solution.

You, and those like you don't even realize how ignorant you are. How about reading into how these pirates came to be for example. You have no knowledge whatsoever about the situation and get all worked up even though you know NOTHING about the subject.

Just to give those of you who don't know what is happening outside of Canada a little lesson, the pirates didn't just come out of thin air. The U.S and the rest of the world has been dumping all types of dangerous and toxic waste (nuclear waste has been found on the shores) onto Somali water for decades. Somalis tried everything to bring this to the attention of the U.N and other international bodies but they refused to do anything about it.

Fisherman in the coastal regions decided to respond. They set up teams where they would roam the coast of Somalia looking for vessels that were in the act of dumping waste. They would then hijack those ships and demand a ransom as a way of making them pay for what they were doing to Somali shores. The waste they were dumping on the water and the fish they were stealing greatly hurt the fishermen in Somalia.

Yes as it so often happens, these fisherman realized that they could make a million times more hijacking than they ever could fishing so what started as a noble way of protecting one's country just turned into a chance to strike it rich. If the west stopped dumping all sorts of toxic waste onto Somali waters than none of this would of happened.

Funny how none of you got riled up when NUCLEAR waste was being dumped onto Somali waters but now that a bunch of rich companies are hijacked everyone cares. Please educate yourselves before you buy the bull that you hear on CNN.

[jedijome]

two wrong's really don't make a right. still i supported what they were doing initially when they were trying to police their own waters.

but now, yeah just blow them all out of the water. This has gone too far.

[partytime2009]

two wrong's really don't make a right. still i supported what they were doing initially when they were trying to police their own waters.

but now, yeah just blow them all out of the water. This has gone too far.

Obviously you graduated from "The Bush School of bomb everyone then ask questions later". We all know where that got us in the past eight years.

[rb]

So the patrolling navies should blow up every fishing boat in the area just to be effective?

Please tell me where I said that ?

Theres other actions
blockade the home ports of the pirates
Set up Q ships
set up exclusion zones
thats for starters

[Sprite09]

I think I have a solution.

Small submersible like 10-20 feet long. One or two man.

submersible goes under small pirate ship and drills hole and ship floods and sinks. As it sinks pirates don't have anything to shoot at. When their guns get wet they can't shoot any more.

or just have the guy/s on submersible surface nearby at night and kill pirates silently by swimming to boat.


http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1205/1239474754584.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1239474754584.jpg)
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1239474754584.jpg/1/w461.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img11/1239474754584.jpg/1/)

[Nemodigital]

You, and those like you don't even realize how ignorant you are. How about reading into how these pirates came to be for example. You have no knowledge whatsoever about the situation and get all worked up even though you know NOTHING about the subject.

Just to give those of you who don't know what is happening outside of Canada a little lesson, the pirates didn't just come out of thin air. The U.S and the rest of the world has been dumping all types of dangerous and toxic waste (nuclear waste has been found on the shores) onto Somali water for decades. Somalis tried everything to bring this to the attention of the U.N and other international bodies but they refused to do anything about it.

Fisherman in the coastal regions decided to respond. They set up teams where they would roam the coast of Somalia looking for vessels that were in the act of dumping waste. They would then hijack those ships and demand a ransom as a way of making them pay for what they were doing to Somali shores. The waste they were dumping on the water and the fish they were stealing greatly hurt the fishermen in Somalia.

Yes as it so often happens, these fisherman realized that they could make a million times more hijacking than they ever could fishing so what started as a noble way of protecting one's country just turned into a chance to strike it rich. If the west stopped dumping all sorts of toxic waste onto Somali waters than none of this would of happened.

Funny how none of you got riled up when NUCLEAR waste was being dumped onto Somali waters but now that a bunch of rich companies are hijacked everyone cares. Please educate yourselves before you buy the bull that you hear on CNN.
I am highly suspicious of your "environmentalist" twist. How about the billions of dollars pumped into Somalia in the form of food aid and to get this in return? These scum are not fighting for some sort of justice but simply for profit. The US and other effected nations need to strike fear into the hearts of these vermin by raising the stakes. This should include armed rescue operations, making use of decoys (Q Ships), complete naval blockade and subversion (kidnap the chiefs of the effected tribes).

[partytime2009]

I am highly suspicious of your "environmentalist" twist. How about the billions of dollars pumped into Somalia in the form of food aid and to get this in return? These scum are not fighting for some sort of justice but simply for profit. The US and other effected nations need to strike fear into the hearts of these vermin by raising the stakes. This should include armed rescue operations, making use of decoys (Q Ships), complete naval blockade and subversion (kidnap the chiefs of the effected tribes).

ahahahah,

Another graduate from the "Bush School of Ignorance". Yes, lets completely ignore why things are happening the way they are in the world, lets ignore why people are desperate enough to risk their lives just to survive, lets keep on dumping nuclear waste in the waters of countries who cannot defend themselves. Lets just go with your solution and blow them to pieces..want some cookies for your brilliant solution to the world's problems?

If you are as suspicious as you claim you are, then do a quick Google search and educate yourself on the issue at hand. I will warn you though, you might be surprised to read that there indeed has been a great deal of illegal dumping and fishing that has been occuring off the coast of Somalia for decades and everyone was ignoring it. I am not saying that they are right to kidnap these sailors, I am just encouraging everyone to get educated about the issues before proclaiming that we should bomb people. These issues are never as simplistic as CNN would have you believe and there is no one size fits all solution.

It doesn't matter if you're from Somalia, China, or Canada, when you're starving and have nothing to live for you will do anything and everything in your power to survive. There is a reason why there is a large immigrant population in Canada; everyone wants a better life.

Increase the military presence, arrest these pirates, stop all illegal dumping and fishing, and in the future uphold the law even for those that cannot protect themselves from avoiding these situations.

[LordofthePing]

You, and those like you don't even realize how ignorant you are. How about reading into how these pirates came to be for example. You have no knowledge whatsoever about the situation and get all worked up even though you know NOTHING about the subject.

Just to give those of you who don't know what is happening outside of Canada a little lesson, the pirates didn't just come out of thin air. The U.S and the rest of the world has been dumping all types of dangerous and toxic waste (nuclear waste has been found on the shores) onto Somali water for decades. Somalis tried everything to bring this to the attention of the U.N and other international bodies but they refused to do anything about it.

Fisherman in the coastal regions decided to respond. They set up teams where they would roam the coast of Somalia looking for vessels that were in the act of dumping waste. They would then hijack those ships and demand a ransom as a way of making them pay for what they were doing to Somali shores. The waste they were dumping on the water and the fish they were stealing greatly hurt the fishermen in Somalia.

Yes as it so often happens, these fisherman realized that they could make a million times more hijacking than they ever could fishing so what started as a noble way of protecting one's country just turned into a chance to strike it rich. If the west stopped dumping all sorts of toxic waste onto Somali waters than none of this would of happened.

Funny how none of you got riled up when NUCLEAR waste was being dumped onto Somali waters but now that a bunch of rich companies are hijacked everyone cares. Please educate yourselves before you buy the bull that you hear on CNN.

Sorry, but that is completely wrong.

First, these Somalis are pirates, they are not terrorists. They do not have any political objectives, they only want money. This is a commercial enterprise for them, and the money they extract from hostage taking is not put to any socially useful purpose. There's no evidence that any of the $40+ million that they have received over the last year has been put towards increasing governance in Somalia, cleaning up coastal areas, or replenishing fishing stocks. What the evidence suggests is that the money has been reinvested in further piracy or just sent back to clan members who live lavishly.

Second, even if your premise was true- that Somali piracy was merely a reaction to environmental exploitation- there would be no justification for capturing non polluting vessels, which most ransomed vessels are. The pirates don't care what the ship is carrying, whose flag its flying under, or who makes up its crew, they just want the money. This American vessel was transporting food aid to Kenya, and was over 300 miles off the coast of Somalia when it was attacked. The French yacht was a sail boat occupied by civilians. These are not corporations exploiting Somalis or their natural resources.

Third, the UN security council unanimously agreed that the piracy needs to be stopped. An empty threat maybe, but the 15 member security council included a number of African and Muslim states whom would be sympathetic to Somali concerns. It's not as if the developed world and its lap dogs are just abusing Somalia, there is widespread agreement that piracy off the Horn of Africa has no legitimacy.

Fourth, if you want to help Somalia, your best bet would be to focus on its real internal problems (civil war, warlords, disease, Muslim extremists, corruption, lack of clean drinking water etc.) rather then imagined external ones.

Ibtl.

[nsx]

CNN has reported that the captain has been rescued.


"Captain tried 2nd escape before rescue"

"Captain Phillips now on board US Navy ship"

"3 pirates shot and killed; 1 in custody"

-----------------------------------------------------------
EDIT:

Update on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html

[Justin]

CNN has reported that the captain has been rescued.


"Captain tried 2nd escape before rescue"

"Captain Phillips now on board US Navy ship"

"3 pirates shot and killed; 1 in custody"

-----------------------------------------------------------
EDIT:

Update on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html

Great news...those pirates got owned!

[Takami]

I think I have a solution.

Small submersible like 10-20 feet long. One or two man.

submersible goes under small pirate ship and drills hole and ship floods and sinks. As it sinks pirates don't have anything to shoot at. When their guns get wet they can't shoot any more.

or just have the guy/s on submersible surface nearby at night and kill pirates silently by swimming to boat.


http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1205/1239474754584.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1239474754584.jpg)
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1239474754584.jpg/1/w461.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img11/1239474754584.jpg/1/)


I suspected that you posted this as a joke, but there are 1000 things wrong with your solution, but I will just name 3.
1) The ship and the cargo carried on the ship is worth a lot of money and simply destroying them is a not feasible.
2) If the ship is sinking, the pirates will kill most of the hostages and then escape with 1 or 2 hostages in a life boat.
3) The AK47 and most other Soviet arms can fire after submerging it in water, given that the pirate clear most of the water from the barrel before using it again.

[salabanzi]

Good to hear that the Captain is safe now. But seriously, what the hell are these pirates thinking of? Do they really think they can hold an American hostage and think they can get away with it with the American military on their heel???:confused:

[Nemodigital]

Great news...those pirates got owned!
Thats awesome!

[jedijome]

partytime2009 thinks that he's the only smart one on here and who has the right point of view. everyone else seems to have graduated from "the bush school of blow everything up." and shouldn't be listened to and is dumb.


erm is it just me or isn't that the exact philosophy George bush followed? "yeah you're with me or you're dumb and against me."

Anyways the captain got freed but more hostages were taken, the dance continues. It's obvious the pirates don't realize they're bringing the world's attention down upon them and when that happens it won't end well for them.

[vedia]

the somali's got powned, yeah!!!!!

[king_george]

Three less pirates to be concerned with. Four if you count the one going to Gitmo.

A few more operations like this and maybe they will start thinking twice about being pirates.

You'd think that Halliburton or someone would hire themselves out as armed guards though. I'm sure that would be a good investment.

[Beradon]

For the dead pirates, good riddance to garbage I say.

Clinton had a chance to clear the mess up in Somalia a decade ago but decided against it. Now we have a lawless wasteland of a country overruled by warlords and the general population starving everyday or millions becoming refugees in other countries. Obama is gonna love this ride. This is the democrats reaping what they sow. Oh well! ;)

[MasterXan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMk3vKzFSBs

every pirate should be blown outta the water so we wouldn't be worried about pirates, aside from Captain Freakin Crunch :lol:

[dairymandip]

While this may be seen as a victory, remember the pirates still have like 300 hostages who they have not harmed yet, Hopefully they don't take out their anger on the other hostages.