[DrPepper]

Sirius Star is the biggest tanker ever to be hijacked,
with a cargo of 2m barrels - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's
daily output - worth more than $100m.

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Hijacked oil tanker nears Somalia

How come this tanker was not protected?

[Kebabhead]

Originally Posted by DrPepper

How come this tanker was not protected?

We haven't invaded Somalia yet !

[Iccz]

It was not in what is seen as notoriously dangerous waters.
Also it is not the kind of good that is a major issue. It's only crude oil... sure it's a lot, and the oil company are gonna be gutted, but it's not a justification for any troops to get involved with it yet.
The crew are safe and not in danger...

The Ukrainian tanker with weapons and tanks however is a concern as them goods in the wrong hands are more of a problem.

[Wild Weasel]

How come this tanker was not protected?

Because Liberia doesn't have a navy.

[PJTX100]

I've got a feeling in future they will be protected.

Just a thought. From what I've read there are British / US Navy vessels patroling the waters in this area. Are there similar from gulf states such as saudi arabia? Perhaps they should invest a little of their wealth in this "common cause"?

[johntheexpat]

Originally Posted by Iccz

It's only crude oil... ,.... but it's not a justification for any troops to get involved with it yet.

Now really, what kind of talk is that? Not sending our troops in because its oil?

[KhalJimbo]

Originally Posted by Wild Weasel

How come this tanker was not protected?

Because Liberia doesn't have a navy.

what does liberia have to do with anything, thats on the west coast of africa, this happened on the east

[Iccz]

NATO has a small presence along with a few USA warships, Russia are off Somalia and everyone fears them but they would likely not come to the aid of a Saudi ship without a deposit.

Originally Posted by johntheexpat

Now really, what kind of talk is that? Not sending our troops in because its oil?

Everyone knows you don't shoot it out on a crude carrier...
Money will have to be paid. The Somali pirates are usually pretty good at getting their goods and letting everyone go.
They're not interested in the oil or prisoners, just the ransom.
There is no need for military to get involved.

Insurers have been warning that their policies were not in effect in certain high piracy areas or increasing the premium for traveling through them. Some companies take their chances in those areas anyway for cost saving reasons. If a big oil company wants protection then they can afford their own protection.

The Saudis will pay the ransom and all will work out fine, they'll get their oil back and the people will go away unharmed.

[IronGiant]

Originally Posted by jimthelegend

what does liberia have to do with anything, thats on the west coast of africa, this happened on the east

The Liberian-registered Sirius Star had been heading for the United States via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa...

[eric pisch]

Originally Posted by IronGiant

The Liberian-registered Sirius Star had been heading for the United States via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa...

Is there not some "scam" where by major coperations register there ships to backwater countries to avoid regulations and or taxes?

what ever it offers coperations 10% of the worlds ships are registered there

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberian_Companies

[Sonic67]

Guidance & Regulations

6.15 Firearms

6.15.1 The carrying and use of firearms for personal protection or protection of a ship is strongly discouraged and will not be authorised by the British Government. Carriage of arms on board ship may escalate an already dangerous situation, and any firearms on board may themselves become an attractive target for an attacker. The use of firearms requires special training and aptitudes and the risk of accidents with firearms carried on board ship is great. In some jurisdictions killing a national may have unforeseen consequences even for a person who believes that they have acted in self-defence.

9.2 Naval Intervention

9.2.1 International law requires any warship or other government ship to repress piracy on the high seas. Such ships would be expected to take action if they encountered pirates, or come to the aid of any ship under attack by pirates, on the high seas. A naval ship of any State can pursue pirates on the high seas, but not into the territorial waters of another State without that State's prior consent.

9.2.2 Foreign naval ships on innocent passage within the territorial waters of another State cannot exercise any enforcement powers or pursue attackers without prior authorisation from the Coastal State. However, they may render humanitarian assistance to a ship in danger or distress.

9.2.3 Royal Navy ships will take all appropriate measures to respond to incidents of piracy on the high seas, and to provide humanitarian assistance to ships attacked in territorial waters, whenever they are on hand to do so. However, the likelihood of a Royal Navy ship being nearby when an incident occurs, particularly in distant waters, will not be great. British ships will therefore, need to rely on their own vigilance and resources to prevent attacks and on the capability of Coastal States to suppress piracy or armed robbery.

As for our navy, we are down to 6 type 45's being bought down from 12 initially planned and the type 42's being taken out of service early.

[Fred Quimby]

I wonder how they managed to stop or slow down the tanker. Something that big takes some stopping. How did they actually get on board,Im pretty sure they were not rowing likes blazes in a rubber dingy. I can just image it.....

Oi big boy slow down I keel you infadel i kill you,you no stop.

[Sonic67]

HMS Cumberland has been involved elsewhere:

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Warship's firefight with pirates

[eric pisch]

Originally Posted by nikonkid

I wonder how they managed to stop or slow down the tanker. Something that big takes some stopping. How did they actually get on board,Im pretty sure they were not rowing likes blazes in a rubber dingy. I can just image it.....

Oi big boy slow down I keel you infadel i kill you,you no stop.

I too was wondering how on earth you get on to a moving ship when the decks 40 (?) foot from the water?

[Wild Weasel]

Originally Posted by eric pisch

I too was wondering how on earth you get on to a moving ship when the decks 40 (?) foot from the water?

Using grappling hooks and ropes. Arrr!

[Iccz]

Somali pirates have quite a range of boats, plus weapons, AK's + RPG's, when you're on a slow moving VLCC (in comparison to other types of water transport) without any real protection you can't really resist too much, especially when you're sat on all that explosive and flammable liquid...
I'd imagine ropes and hooks are all that's needed to board the ship. But i'm not totally sure how they go about it... maybe catapults?

Companies should go the safer route or spend their money on Blackwater.



If you live somewhere and the shop is on the otherside of a known rough area where people get stabbed, do you walk through there to get to the shop in 5 minutes, or go around taking 15 minutes more, knowing you'll be safer?

[sniffer66]

Why are pirates called pirates ?













































Because they "Arrrr"

[eric pisch]

Easy to stop the pirates, just stick a gun every couple of hundred feet around the boat, in case of pirates break glass and get dirty harry on there ass

or you could upgrade them

YouTube - Goalkeeper CIWS Gun System

[Iccz]

Do you really want to be on a VLCC with so much explosive material when someone deceides its a good idea to start a gunfight with pirates equipped with RPGs ?

[KhalJimbo]

Maybe they were stow aways? Or a helicopter dropped them on deck

[Pecker]

I'll have a wild stab in the dark and say that, when people with rocket launchers point those rockets at the large amount of combustible liquid below your feet, and threaten to fire if you don't let them on, that you let them on.

Particularly when previous situations like this have almost always ended with the crew being released unharmed.

Steve W

[Iccz]

Blackwater USA they shoot people for fun, take the along for the ride and watch the fun

[Decadence]

It's all so exciting! Although they are obviously evil people they are also Pirates like Johnny Depp (except Somalian). I don't know who to root for!!

[IronGiant]

Originally Posted by Iccz

.

If you live somewhere and the shop is on the otherside of a known rough area where people get stabbed, do you walk through there to get to the shop in 5 minutes, or go around taking 15 minutes more, knowing you'll be safer?

I thought they were going the long way around? which takes them past Somalia... I assumed it's because the ship is too big to get through the Suez Canal.

Dave

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by IronGiant

I thought they were going the long way around? which takes them past Somalia... I assumed it's because the ship is too big to get through the Suez Canal.

Dave

Yeah, but they were close to known pirate areas, you could go further around them - take a wider birth away from these areas. You only have to look at the image on the BBC site that shows how close to the coast they were and the number of piracy related hijackings that have gone on there recently.
They knew what they were doing, they could have gone a bit further adrift for safety but that's not the quickest/shortest route...

Kinda like when you cross the street to go past a group of youths if you're a bit weary about them being there... you distance yourself a bit. Only on a larger scale

[IronGiant]

I see what you meant, crossing to the other side of the street rather than taking a different road altogether .

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by IronGiant

I see what you meant, crossing to the other side of the street rather than taking a different road altogether .

Yeah but on a larger scale as you're going miles out of the way, but for a more justifiable reason.

Crossing the road because of a group of people you dont know are dangerous is just a precaution. They could be fine for all you know, and you're not avoiding them by a great distance.
But going around a rough estate is going by what you know about it - you distance yourself fully from that risk.
That's why I used that example, because i'd much rather walk around somewhere that has a reputation for muggings or something than risk going through for a quick trip to the shop.
I'd imagine these shipping companies will start to realise that soon enough and take the safer longer routes.

[IronGiant]

Don't get me wrong, I'm agreeing with you I think the problem here was that most of the vessels have been seized in the Gulf of Aden off the north coast of Somalia, so presumably they thought they were home and dry () once they got out into open water.

[daniel_owen_uk]

Originally Posted by eric pisch

I too was wondering how on earth you get on to a moving ship when the decks 40 (?) foot from the water?

A plank, yarrrr!

[Sonic67]

The Aramco VLCC was hijacked 450 miles offshore. It might be that the pirates are getting braver and heading further out.