Somalische piraten kapen schepen

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Op dinsdag 18 november 2008 23:08 schreef BarraCupraCuda het volgende:

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idd kunnen die jongens van de seals ook nog eens wat leuke oefeningen doen...

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Op woensdag 19 november 2008 00:12 schreef RemcoDelft het volgende:

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Wellicht tijd om Somalie zelf even aan te pakken, als thuisbasis van deze terroristen. Of zou dat het doel zijn, hopen dat het Westen daar de zooi op orde komt brengen?

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Op woensdag 19 november 2008 00:27 schreef Masanga het volgende:

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Dat lijkt me geen opdracht die snel aan te pakken is, en dat is dan nog grotendeels onze eigen Westerse schuld.
Ten tijde van de koude oorlog zijn immens veel wapens in Somalië geraakt (zowel uit Rusland en USA), en sindsdien is het land overbewapend (en zijn bovendien voldoende nieuwe wapens het land binnengekomen). Begin de jaren 90, na de dictatuur van Barre, hebben oa de Belgen en Amerikanen daar gezeten, maar hebben nagelaten een doorgedreven ontwapening door te voeren.

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MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million in crude oil demanded a ransom from the ship's owners, a man believed to be one of the masterminds behind the attack said on al-Jazeera television Wednesday.

"Negotiators are located on board the ship and on land. Once they have agreed on the ransom, it will be taken in cash to the oil tanker," said the man identified as Farah Abd Jameh, who did not indicate the amount to be paid.

"We assure the safety of the ship that carries the ransom. We will mechanically count the money and we have machines that can detect fake money," the man said on an audio tape produced by the Dubai-based television network.

The message came as two more ships were seized by Somali pirates in the past 24 hours: a Greek bulk carrier and a Thai fishing boat, despite a large international naval presence in the waters off their lawless country. An Iranian cargo ship was also hijacked earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, a major Norwegian shipping group ordered its tankers to sail around Africa rather than use the Suez Canal because of the hijack risk.

The U.S. and other naval forces decided against intervening in the seizure of the supertanker, which was carrying $100 million in crude. The pirates captured an Iranian cargo ship Tuesday — the eighth ship seized in 12 days.



Odfjell SE said it made the decision to divert its ships after pirates seized the Saudi Arabian supertanker MV Sirius Star Saturday hundreds of miles off the coast of Kenya, the most brazen attack yet by Somalian pirates.

"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," said Terje Storeng, Odfjell's president and chief executive. "Unless we are explicitly committed by existing contracts to sail through this area, as from today we will reroute our ships around Cape of Good Hope."

Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau said the Thai boat was seized in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday as it traveled toward the Mideast.

The vessel was captured the same day that pirates hijacked an Iranian bulk cargo carrier with 25 crew members. Saturday's attack on the Saudi supertanker was the most brazen attack in the region yet.

The Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, connects to the Red Sea, which in turn is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. The route is thousands of miles and many days shorter than going around the Cape of Good Hope off the southern tip of Africa.

"This will incur significant extra cost, but we expect our customers' support and contribution," said Storeng.

"Odfjell is frustrated by the fact that governments and authorities in general seem to take a limited interest in this very serious problem," he added, describing the seizures as "ruthless, high-level organized crime."

Pirates have seized dozens of ships off Somalia's coast in the last year, generally releasing them after ransoms were paid. NATO has three warships in the Gulf of Aden and the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet has ships in the region. But the MV Sirius Star was seized far from where they patrol.

While Somali pirates have seized 36 ships over the past year, among them a Ukrainian ship loaded with arms that is still being held, never had they seized a vessel as large as the Sirius Star and so far out to sea. The tanker was more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, an area far south of the zone where warships have increased their patrols.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal called the hijacking "an outrageous act" and said "piracy, like terrorism, is a disease which is against everybody, and everybody must address it together." Bron

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Op dinsdag 18 november 2008 22:55 schreef Captain_Chaos het volgende:
Volgens mij wordt het tijd voor een ondubbelzinnig signaal naar piraten.
'
Tring....
Wie is daar?
Het is de kikvorsman!
Kom maar boven!
[ afbeelding ]

[ afbeelding ]

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Op dinsdag 18 november 2008 22:26 schreef sp3c het volgende:
Frankrijk betaalden onlangs het losgeld en ging het daarna ophalen met commando's en helikopters
alleen moeten de kapers nu van de rechters waarschijnlijk vrijgelaten (en evt asiel krijgen!) omdat ze illegaal in Somalie zijn opgepakt

maar goed, ik denk dat het schip net zolang omsingeld/geschaduwd gaat worden door marineschepen tot de kapers er mee ophouden net als met dat schip vol tanks ... het is nu te high profile om te betalen en het schip enteren lijkt mij te riskant en tot ze gevangenen gaan executeren lijkt het me ook gewoon niet nodig

aan de andere kant heeft de VN net wel een resulotie afgegeven om piraten in die regio hard aan te pakken dus wie weet!

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India 'sinks Somali pirate ship'

The Indian navy is now patrolling off the Somali coast

An Indian navy warship has destroyed a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden.

The INS Tabar sunk the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead, an Indian navy statement said.

There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.

The latest incident came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates and anchored point off the Somali coast.

Vela International, operators of the Sirius Star, told the BBC no demands had yet been received from the pirates. The company also said all the crew were safe.

The biggest tanker ever hijacked, Sirius Star is carrying a cargo of two million barrels - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m (£67m).

Analysts say the pattern of other hijackings suggests a ransom request is likely to follow. Given the value of the tanker and its cargo, that request is likely to be large one, analysts suggest.

Explosions

India is among several countries already patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.


Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel
Indian naval statement

The Indian navy said the Tabar spotted the pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (528km) south-west of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening.

The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers.

When it demanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the statement said.

Pirates then fired on the Tabar, and the Indians say they retaliated and that there was an explosion on the pirate vessel, which sank.

"Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel," the Indian navy said.

Some of the pirates tried to escape on two speedboats. The Indian sailors gave chase but one boat was later found abandoned, while a second boat escaped.

The Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since 23 October, and has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the statement said.

Last week, helicopter-borne Indian marine commandos stopped pirates from boarding and hijacking an Indian merchant vessel.

Ransoms

On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates this year.


The first vessel, a 25-crew cargo vessel transporting wheat to Iran, was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, while contact was lost with the crew of 12 on the fishing boat.

Piracy off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of Aden - an area of more than 1m sq miles (2.6m sq km) - is estimated to have cost up to $30m in ransoms this year, a UK think tank has said.

The hijackings account for one-third of all global piracy incidents this year and the situation is getting out of control, according to the International Maritime Board.

The pirates who seized the Sirius Star are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says the BBC Somali Service's Yusuf Garaad.

Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife.

Shipping companies are now weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to Europe via the Suez canal.

However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7736885.stm

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Op dinsdag 18 november 2008 22:48 schreef RemcoDelft het volgende:
Dit is natuurlijjk ook te danken aan de eerdere betalingen van losgeld! Die piraten hebben door dat het systeem werkt!

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Op woensdag 19 november 2008 00:27 schreef Masanga het volgende:

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Dat lijkt me geen opdracht die snel aan te pakken is, en dat is dan nog grotendeels onze eigen Westerse schuld.
Ten tijde van de koude oorlog zijn immens veel wapens in Somalië geraakt (zowel uit Rusland en USA), en sindsdien is het land overbewapend (en zijn bovendien voldoende nieuwe wapens het land binnengekomen). Begin de jaren 90, na de dictatuur van Barre, hebben oa de Belgen en Amerikanen daar gezeten, maar hebben nagelaten een doorgedreven ontwapening door te voeren.

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Op woensdag 19 november 2008 18:49 schreef mr21 het volgende:
respect voor de moslimbroeders.Acherlijke westerlingen moeten gewoon betalen en niemand die hier iets aan kan doen

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Op woensdag 19 november 2008 18:41 schreef Fastmatti het volgende:

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Oorlog in Afrika is altijd de schuld van het Westen. Sterker nog oorlog is altijd de schuld van het Westen, zonder het Westen geen oorlog.

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Op dinsdag 18 november 2008 14:27 schreef Masanga het volgende:
Subversive, hoe denk je dat het gewone volk zal reageren op de strijd tegen de piraterij? Van hieruit krijg ik het gevoel dat met de miljoenen losgeld die de piraten al kregen en de fanatieke bevolking er wel aardig verzet zal komen uit Somalië.

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Mining firm tied to Somali oil pirates
19 Nov 19, 2008 - 8:04:11 AM

AN AUSTRALIAN mining company has paid millions of dollars in controversial fees to Somali rebels responsible for a surge in international piracy, including the hijacking this week of an oil supertanker.

Since 2005, oil explorer Range Resources has paid the disputed government of the Puntland State of Somalia more than $US6 million ($A9.3 million) for resource rights to the region.

Puntland's ruling clans are suspected of controlling piracy off the coast of Somalia — including the pirates who this week seized control of a Saudi-owned oil tanker, the Sirius Star, which is carrying a cargo of oil worth at least $US100 million.

The pirates last night confirmed to the television network al-Jazeera that they were demanding a ransom for the tanker, but did not specify an amount.

After signing a heads of agreement with Puntland's government in October 2005, Range Resources paid $US1.5 million up front, 17 monthly payments of $US200,000 and an additional one-off $US1 million. The payments ceased last year.

Range Resources has since made several "charitable donations" to Puntland's government, including a $US250,000 payment for an airport redevelopment last year. Range Resources directors Mike Povey and Peter Landau flew to Puntland to hand over that cheque.

In return, Range Resources holds the rights to all mineral and hydrocarbon exploration for Puntland, an area covering more than 212,000 square kilometres.

To date no oil has been recovered in Puntland by Range Resources or its mysterious joint-venture partner, Consort Private, which is registered in the Maldives.

In 2005, Somalia's Transitional Federal Government raised concerns with the Australian Stock Exchange over Range Resources' ability to secure the exclusive mineral and oil rights to a large slice of the country. In a letter to the ASX, then prime minister Ali Mohammed Gedi offered to co-operate with "any investigation" into the company's explorations claims.

His letter stated that the deal with the regional Puntland government was not valid because only his transitional government had the power to negotiate the sale of mineral and oil rights.

In the vague heads of agreement document released by Range Resources to the ASX and shareholders in October 2005, it is unclear who the actual beneficiary of the money for the oil and mining rights is.

Former Range Resources managing director Mike Povey, who quit the company last month, has since confirmed to The Age that the money was paid directly to Puntland's disputed government.

"Yes, it was paid to them," Mr Povey told The Age. "I do not know what the money was ultimately used for. I assume it was used for infrastructure projects, for running the country. It's a very poor part of the world and the money was much-needed."

Mr Povey denied that the money was effectively a kick-back to a corrupt regime, and one that is not recognised by rival provinces of Somalia. He also said he had no evidence that the money had been diverted to fund piracy or to buy weapons. "I know nothing about that at all," Mr Povey said.

Range's deal was struck with Puntland's minister of finance, Mohammed Ali Yusuf. His name appears on documents lodged by Range with the ASX.

Mr Yusuf's budget statement for Puntland for 2005-06 shows that money from Range Resources contributed to his department's budget, which was used to buy weapons for the "pacification of neighbouring non-Puntland territories".

In detailing his department's $US11.3 million of annual expenditure that year, Mr Yusuf stated: "Huge amounts of money had been spent on security … huge amounts had been spent on politics as well, especially on pacification of neighbouring non-Puntland territories like Southern Mudug and disputed territories of Sol and Sanag."

Online newspaper The Somaliland Times has also reported that funds from Range Resources have been used to buy weapons in the region. Range Resources disputes that report.

Piracy is the prime industry of Puntland, earning an estimated $US35 million this year in ransom payments.

Two Victorian policemen also have links with Range Resources and its operations in Puntland. In 2006, former Victoria Police sergeant Joe Obeid performed a security assessment for Range Resources in Puntland. That report declared that Puntland was safe for Range to pursue its business interests.

In 1998, Mr Obeid, who was stationed at Brunswick, was dismissed after being found guilty of five of seven disciplinary charges against him.

A police spokesman at the time said the charges included conduct likely to diminish public confidence in the force and conducting a business without the Chief Commissioner's permission.

Last year serving Victoria Police officer Tony Langdon performed a security assessment of Puntland for Range. Mr Langdon is the subject of an Ethical Standards Department investigation into allegations he threatened two private detectives. He denies the allegations.

Source:The Age

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Rusland gaat meer marineschepen inzetten tegen piraterij in de wateren bij Somalië.

Dat heeft de Russische commandant van de marine, admiraal Vladimir Vysotski, donderdag gezegd, aldus het Russische persbureau Ria Novosti.

,,Dit is nodig door ontwikkelingen in de omgeving van de Hoorn van Afrika en de Golf van Aden, waar Somalische piraten hun activiteiten sterk hebben uitgebreid'', stelde Vysotski. Hij zei niet hoeveel extra schepen Rusland wil inzetten. In september stuurde de Russische marine een eerste fregat naar de Somalische wateren voor het bestrijden van piraterij. (Bron)

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Piraten eisen 20 miljoen euro voor supertanker

Somalische piraten eisen een losgeld van 25 miljoen dollar (bijna 20 miljoen euro) voor de gekaapte supertanker Sirius Star. Dat heeft Mohamed Said, een van de piraten, donderdag gezegd.

Said zei dat de Saudische eigenaren tien dagen hebben om met het geld over de brug te komen. Als ze dat niet doen, kan dat rampzalige gevolgen hebben, aldus Said.

Met de Sirius Star haalden Somalische kapers deze week hun grootste buit ooit binnen met ruim twee miljoen vaten olie aan boord. Dat is ruim een kwart van de dagelijkse Saudische olieproductie.

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Op dinsdag 18 november 2008 22:21 schreef zoalshetis het volgende:

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de piraten zullen wel genoeg gedreigd hebben. andere vraag, hoe pak je ze terug? ik denk vrij vlak voor de kust, met helicopters.

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Op woensdag 19 november 2008 02:19 schreef Caesu het volgende:
oplossing is om weer met konvooien te gaan werken.
ieder schip dat niet mee wil met een konvooi moet niet op beveiliging rekenen.

maar al die rederijen uit de verschillende landen wilden niet samenwerken.
nu leren ze het op deze manier weer.

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Op donderdag 20 november 2008 11:33 schreef Boris_Karloff het volgende:

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Ik denk dat je met een vlootje naar de belngrijkste verzamelpunten van die piraten moet gaan en die paar uitvals havens gewoon aan gruzelementen moet schieten. Dan los je het probleem snel op