Pirates seize ship carrying tanks, ammo

Oh, what was I thinking?!

 

Yup. More like they will want a cut from the pirates LOL.

 

Japan considering sending warship to tackle pirates off Somalia


TOKYO (AFP) – Japan said Thursday it was considering dispatching a destroyer to waters off Somalia to guard against pirates who are inflicting a costly toll on the shipping industry.
A growing number of nations are sending navy ships to fight pirates near the lawless East African country, with Japan's neighbour and sometime rival China set to dispatch three vessels on Friday.
"Japan has to deal quickly with this issue," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, the government spokesman, told a news conference.
But Japan has legal problems with sending warships because of its pacifist post-World War II constitution. Under domestic laws, the navy can only protect ships flying the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese nationals.
"Are the current laws appropriate for a mission like this?" Kawamura said.
"The laws stipulate that, as a general rule, Japanese (military) ships can operate within our territorial waters. But is that OK when we are discussing cooperation with the international community?" he said.
Kawamura said ruling bloc lawmakers will study changes in legislation.
The Mainichi Shimbun, quoting unnamed sources, said that Prime Minister Taro Aso may announce a decision on an operation by the end of the year.
The UN Security Council has given nations a one-year mandate to act inside Somalia to stop the rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden, part of the Suez Canal route from Europe to Asia.
Some shipping companies have chosen to travel around Africa, a longer and more expensive route, to avoid the increasingly brazen pirate attacks.
Japanese forces have not fired a shot in combat since World War II. But the country has tried to take on a larger role in international security, notably through a reconstruction mission in Iraq.
China's dispatch of two destroyers and a supply ship mark the first time in recent history that Beijing has deployed vessels on a potential combat mission well beyond its territorial waters.

Japan considering sending warship to tackle pirates off Somalia - Yahoo! News

 

Dupe post

 

Too bad that the Japanese Constitution wont allow them to really help. But then again the thought of piracy wouldn't have been thought of back when it was written.

 

Simple answer to stop this nonsense-allow any warship in the area-to blow them to smithereens. A few of their boats get sunk-and if they are smart enough eh-hem--Pirates-they'd quit trying to steal what's not theirs to begin with-and maybe actually go and create something called: jobs-and make their own wealth through hard work-instead of common thievery.

 

That would be a good thing. But some other people,countries and orginizations have a problem with that . Those poor ol "Fishermen".

 

Caught the coroners desicion last week on the marines involved below. His report into the
killings turned out as lawful killing. Some sense still around then

The Royal Navy has repelled a pirate attack on a Danish cargo-ship off the coast of Yemen, shooting dead two men believed to be Somali pirates.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the incident took place on Tuesday, when HMS Cumberland crew members tried to board a traditional wooden dhow.

The Yemeni-flagged vessel was identified as having been involved in an earlier attack on the Danish ship

An MoD spokesman said the pirates were shot in self-defence.

After initial attempts to stop the dhow failed, the Royal Navy launched sea boats to encircle the vessel.

The British seamen were fired on and shot back before the dhow was boarded and its crew surrendered.

Third death

An MoD Spokesman said: "Two foreign nationals, believed to be Somali pirates, were shot and killed in self-defence.

"A Yemeni national was also found injured and later died, despite receiving emergency treatment from the ship's doctor.

"It is unclear whether his injuries were as a result of the fire-fight or a previous incident involving the pirates."

A post-shooting investigation is being carried out, the spokesman added.

Details of the incident emerged when Russian navy spokesman Igor Dygalo revealed the frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless), from its Baltic Sea Fleet, had also tried to rescue the Danish vessel MV Powerful.
HMS Cumberland
HMS Cumberland is taking part in Nato anti-piracy operations

He said the two warships repelled the attempted raid after the pirates fired weapons at the Danish ship and twice tried to board it.

HMS Cumberland, a Plymouth-based Type 22 frigate, is currently deployed on a piracy-fighting mission in the Gulf of Aden as part of a Nato taskforce.

There has been a rise in attacks on merchant shipping and aid shipments in the area.

The boarding took place 60 nautical miles south of the Yemeni coast, inside the Maritime Security Patrol Area.

The MoD said the boarding operation was conducted "in accordance with UK Rules of Engagement".

Pirates have been causing havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping areas, making the waters off the Horn of Africa some of the world's most dangerous.

The pirates prey on one of the world's key shipping routes, which leads to the Suez Canal, the transit point for up to a third of the world's oil.

Rocket grenades

Pirates have hijacked more than 30 ships so far this year, twice as many as last year, with the ransoms paid to them by governments or ship-owners far higher than in previous years.

The pirates are equipped with speedboats and armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

They have taken millions of dollars in ransoms and their actions have led to a hike in insurance costs for shipping and threatened humanitarian supplies.

A Turkish-flagged tanker with a 14-man crew became the latest victim of the pirates when it was hijacked off Yemen on Wednesday, according to the Anatolia news agency.

Last month, a maritime watchdog said that Somali pirates were responsible for nearly a third of all reported attacks on ships.

 

German chopper scares off pirates as they attack ship

December 26, 2008

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — A German military helicopter foiled an attempt by pirates to seize an Egyptian ship Thursday off the coast of Somalia, swooping in to drive off the attackers after being alerted by a passing vessel.
The Egyptian bulk carrier, Wadi al-Arab, with 31 crew members, was passing through the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, on route to Asia when gun-toting pirates in a speedboat began pursuing it, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center.
A passing ship alerted the Kuala Lumpur-based bureau, which asked a multinational naval coalition force in the area to help, Choong said.
In response, the German navy frigate Karlsruhe dispatched a helicopter, a military spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing policy.
The pirates fled as the chopper reached the vessel, according to a statement from the German military. But they shot and wounded one of the ship’s crew.

http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/532838.html

 

Amazing what a helicopter can do . They seem to be not as tough when faced by people armed and willing to take them on.

 

What they need is a good six of the best. That is to say a bloody good smash across there asses with a cricket bat.

 

Across?

 

That's what I was thinking Za!

 

I would love to have seen the look on their faces when the chopper approached....

 

They should have learned from the last time when the Indian Marines intercepted some of them LOL.

 

ISLAMIC MILITIA TAKES ON PIRATES


Monday, 29 December 2008
A Voice of America journalist reported has filed reports from Hobyo in the Galmudug region of central Somalia which indicate that ransom money is not being diverted directly to Islamic terrorist or rebel groups, despite some media reports to that effect and that the main Islamic militia, Shabab, is clamping down on pirates. Hobyo, which has been a pirate stronghold is now under Shabab's control. Also, contrary to some reports, Alisha Ryu found that local people did not support the pirates at Hobyo and that virtually none of the ransom money was being used to their improve living conditions or benefit the local community. The growing strength of Islamic groups in the coastal area may, she says, be tied to local anger over piracy and deepening poverty.
Ms Ryu also reports that the Shabab Islamic militia which is doing much of the fighting against the central government and is is control of large areas of southern and central Somalia is strongly opposed to piracy. It fought a pitched battle with the pirates who have been operating out of Hobyo on 22 December and took control of the town.
The VOA reporter quotes a pirate as saying that all pirates in central Somalia are under severe pressure from Islamists to disband. He says that, in recent months, pirates trying to go ashore in any area controlled by the Islamists have been threatened and chased away. She says that Somali sources tell VOA that the Islamists' tough stance against piracy has prompted many poor people in coastal communities to quietly begin supporting the return of Islamist rule. Ms Ryu notes in one of her reports: “While the loss of Hobyo to the Shabab has dealt a clear blow to piracy, it raises another troubling question, especially for the United States and its western allies. They must now decide which, pirates or militant Islamists, pose a greater threat to global security and economy.”

Maritime Global Net

 

ISLAMIC MILITIA TAKES ON PIRATES


Monday, 29 December 2008
A Voice of America journalist reported has filed reports from Hobyo in the Galmudug region of central Somalia which indicate that ransom money is not being diverted directly to Islamic terrorist or rebel groups, despite some media reports to that effect and that the main Islamic militia, Shabab, is clamping down on pirates. Hobyo, which has been a pirate stronghold is now under Shabab's control. Also, contrary to some reports, Alisha Ryu found that local people did not support the pirates at Hobyo and that virtually none of the ransom money was being used to their improve living conditions or benefit the local community. The growing strength of Islamic groups in the coastal area may, she says, be tied to local anger over piracy and deepening poverty.
Ms Ryu also reports that the Shabab Islamic militia which is doing much of the fighting against the central government and is is control of large areas of southern and central Somalia is strongly opposed to piracy. It fought a pitched battle with the pirates who have been operating out of Hobyo on 22 December and took control of the town.
The VOA reporter quotes a pirate as saying that all pirates in central Somalia are under severe pressure from Islamists to disband. He says that, in recent months, pirates trying to go ashore in any area controlled by the Islamists have been threatened and chased away. She says that Somali sources tell VOA that the Islamists' tough stance against piracy has prompted many poor people in coastal communities to quietly begin supporting the return of Islamist rule. Ms Ryu notes in one of her reports: “While the loss of Hobyo to the Shabab has dealt a clear blow to piracy, it raises another troubling question, especially for the United States and its western allies. They must now decide which, pirates or militant Islamists, pose a greater threat to global security and economy.”

Maritime Global Net

 

Sounds like the pirates aren't exactly keen on divvying up the proceeds with the "local bandits". LOL! the report seems to set up a false dichotomy; why should the US favor either group?

 

Looks like gang warfare to me. Either-or, a gang it is.

 

Wew could answer them by sending out to fight them-the American Camel Corps :lol: :lol: :crazy: but still :lol: