Hijacked oil tanker nears Somalia (12)
Posted on 18 November 2008 by Jack
A giant Saudi oil tanker seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean is nearing the coast of Somalia, the US Navy says.
The 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.
The vessel was captured in what the navy called an “unprecedented” attack 450 nautical miles (830km) off the Kenyan coast on Saturday.
Its international crew of 25, including two Britons, is said to be safe.
The ship’s operator, Vela International, said a response team had been mobilised to work towards ensuring the safe release of vessel and crew
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, has condemned the hijacking as “an outrageous act”, comparing piracy to terrorism.
Speaking on Tuesday during a visit to Athens, he described piracy as “a disease which is against everybody, and everybody must address it together”.
The hijacking was highly unusual both in terms of the size of the ship and the fact it was attacked so far south of Somalia, says BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.
The seizure points to the inability of a multi-national naval task force sent to the region earlier this year to stop Somali piracy, he says.
The US Fifth Fleet said the supertanker was “nearing an anchorage point” at Eyl, a port often used by pirates based in Somalia’s Puntland region.
Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the pirates involved were well trained.
“Once they get to a point where they can board, it becomes very difficult to get them off, because, clearly, now they hold hostages,” he told a Pentagon briefing in Washington.
Commander Jane Campbell, of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, told the BBC it had warned shipping companies that the US naval presence could “not be everywhere”, adding: “For that reason we have strongly encouraged proactive self-protection measures for the companies.”
Update: Eight suspected pirates handed to Kenya by Royal Navy
Update: Cape route beckons – and the consumer will pay
Update: Armed guards on board would be a last resort
Update: Hijacked oil supertanker anchors off Somalia
Update: Hong Kong grain ship hijacked by pirates - Xinhua
Update: Danish oil ship briefly seized off Nigeria
Update: Saudis label pirates ‘terrorists’ after $100m loss
Update: Hannaford: Piracy on this scale must not be allowed to go on
Update: Iranian-operated cargo ship hijacked off Somalia
Note: I also saw a report somewhere about a fishing vessel being siezed today. Very little info available on that one yet.
Update: FACTBOX: Who are the pirates off Somalia’s coast?
Note: 5:31 pm and getting bored. Time to go.
Goodnight.
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November 18th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Wow! It’s critically urgent for goverments of the international community to pay more attention and take necessary dispositions to address this issue; now pirates look for ransom…but what if they turn those vessels into weapons? They did it on 9/11, they can and will certainly try to carry destruction operations of unprecedent amplitude.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
For quite some time, I have expected AQ to attack international shipping. All they have to do is raise the risks high enough that insurance rates climb sufficiently (dependent upon LLoyd’s Members around the globe) that international shipping becomes too risky to insure. Shipping will grind to a halt (already being hammered by banks avoiding interbank exposure through International Letters of Credit).
This looks like a co-ordinated effort now, with other ships being seized - including a Hong Kong cargo ship. It makes for an vivid introduction of AQ to President-elect Obama.
Domestically, we need to get some of our food grade and pharmaceutical grade precursor manufacturing plants out of mothballs. Seriously.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
It probably wont be considered a serious threat until one of Paul Martin’s ships get hijacked.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I’m curious, these ships being hijacked are huge compared to the hijacker’s so how do they even get on board as it would seem that the physical advantage would go to the former?
The latter would have to literally climb aboard and if you see the size of the freighters in Vancouver harbor this would be no mean feat.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
LG certainly has a good point. The destruction of the Western Economies is their goal and one that they are working at with great dedication.
Treating it seriously would be a good start. Piracy is not a new thing at all, nor should the penalties be new. Hang ‘em, one and all.
Of course there is the “more community basketball courts for the socially disadvantaged” approach. Not sure it works all that well though.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Why don’t they install turrets on the ships, just gun down the pirates as they try to board?
I imagine that would lead to some sort of arms race between the pirates and the shipping company, but honestly, who is gonna win that arms race? I would bet on the guys shipping $400 million of oil a day.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
James, most ports will not permit ships with weapons to enter. Who will man these weapons? (weapons teams would have to be provided by the flag nation). Would they be adequately trained? Will it reduce the risks, and therefore the insurance premiums? Or raise risks for crew, cargo, and vessel?
If this is just not opportunism, but part of a larger strategy (which I suspect), it’s quite clever.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
LG
November 18th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
LG….you’re’ talking warships This problem is a brand new ball game. Don’t discount a change in the rules.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
2 points
It is interesting that the foremost financier of terror through the support of madrassas is now getting bitten on the butt.
Is it possible that the Saudis contracted out a little bit of instability to get the oil prices back up. Tie up a new tanker and $100 million in oil, get world wide sympathy, higher oil prices, negotiate a small cost of doing business ransom and get their ship back intact. Smug in knowing that the higher oil prices will quickly pay the ransom. Let’s see if this type of thing happens a few more times. These scheming middle easterners could pull off a few of these and it would almost guarantee the price would go up and stay up, with little actual risk to the ships and cargo. Are they that smart to pull off something like this? What if the pirates blew up a brand new tanker and its cargo comprised the largest oil spill in history.
Just a few paranoid thoughts.
mid island mike
November 18th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Lets return to the days when merchant ships were armed in international waters and have the weapons inspected and sealed when they reach territorial waters: Something like electronic monitoring of the weapons, a bit like the bracelets used on prisoners attached to the weapons which would record the breaking of the seals to use the weapons.
If the weapon was used in territorial waters a ship’s captain would have to justify it’s use. In international waters it would be up to the Captain to leave them sealed or used for practice firing or function checks or fully manned in dangerous areas.
This could be on a small number of 20 mm cannons and/or a single larger caliber turret for a really large supertanker ?
A locker for small arms could also be safety locked and to prevent the smuggling or illegal sale of these weapons they would be inspected and checked by the Customs or Coast Guard service of each country agreeing to these rules at entry and exit of the Country. Oh, countries too ” politically correct ” to permit these weapons would just have to find another way to get their oil !
I’m sure that this or some other system could be found that would work: A special internationally approved security force, private security firms, or armed forces personnel assigned to ships in dangerous waters ?
November 18th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Actually, this seems like a golden opportunity for private security contractors. There’s PR problems sure, but they don’t really have a great public image anyways…
November 19th, 2008 at 4:53 am
The pirates have to put in to port sometime - destroy them.