5 Somali pirates drown with ransom share

[Chris]

5 Somali pirates drown with ransom share


MOGADISHU, Somalia – Five of the pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a $3 million ransom, a relative said Saturday, the day after the bundle of cash was apparently dropped by parachute onto the deck of the ship.

The Sirius Star and its 25 crew sailed safely away Friday at the end of a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates attacked over 100 ships last year. Hundreds more kidnapped sailors remain in the hands of pirates.

Abukar Haji, uncle of one of the dead men, blamed the naval surveillance for the accident that killed his pirate nephew Saturday.

"The boat the pirates were traveling in capsized because it was running at high speed because the pirates were afraid of an attack from the warships patrolling around," he said.

"There has been human and monetary loss but what makes us feel sad is that we don't still have the dead bodies of our relatives. Four are still missing and one washed up on the shore."

(LINK)


Am I allowed to laugh?  Just a little?

[Chris_]

"There has been human and monetary loss but what makes us feel sad is that we don't still have the dead bodies of our relatives.

Your relatives are common criminals and deserved what happened to them.

[Gratiot]

Am I allowed to laugh?  Just a little?

Not only laugh, but point and snicker too 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Did the scum leave a ring around the ocean?   

Adios, cucarachas!

[Chris]

Hi5 to both of you.

[Wretched Excess]

paying these guys off guarantees that the piracy will continue, of course.

A parachute dropped by a small aircraft drops over the MV Sirius Star at anchor, an apparent payment via a parachuted container to pirates holding the ship, Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. Somali pirates released the oil-laden Saudi supertanker after receiving a $3 million ransom, a negotiator for the bandits said Friday.

[LC EFA]

paying these guys off guarantees that the piracy will continue, of course.

I wonder if it would be "fair play" to douse the ransom with something nasty... like ebola or anthrax before dropping it.

Failing that tie the ransom to a JDAM.

[Wretched Excess]

I wonder if it would be "fair play" to douse the ransom with something nasty... like ebola or anthrax before dropping it.

Failing that tie the ransom to a JDAM.

if we can protect thousands of airliners with air marshalls, you would think that we coiuld protect a far fewer number of cargo vessels.

there is a zillion bucks to be made for a company that provides armed protection on the open seas, something like what blackwater does in iraq.

[Airwolf]

if we can protect thousands of airliners with air marshalls, you would think that we could protect a far fewer number of cargo vessels.

there is a zillion bucks to be made for a company that provides armed protection on the open seas, something like what blackwater does in Iraq.

Sadly though the facts are that between the U.N. and international law there is practically no way anyone can do a thing about those pirates except pay the ransom. Once they get on the ship ,the laws say to basically give it to them without a fight and almost all nations agreed to never arm their civilian crews.

[Wretched Excess]

Sadly though the facts are that between the U.N. and international law there is practically no way anyone can do a thing about those pirates except pay the ransom. Once they get on the ship ,the laws say to basically give it to them without a fight and almost all nations agreed to never arm their civilian crews.

screw international law.  who is the sovereign that dictates international law?  who enforces the punishment?  the answer is, "nobody".

put a dozen armed former marines on every cargo ship, and this shit would end.  THAT AFTERNOON.

[Chris]

I think someone suggested putting a .50 cal machine gun at each end of the ship and shooting the evil bastards out of the water.  Works for me.

Is a ship flying under it's own flag not considered sovreign territory of that country?  (Sorry, I can't think of the correct term.)  Cruise ships are registered out of one country or another... if you break a law on one of their ships, are you not subject to their legal system?

[Wretched Excess]

I think someone suggested putting a .50 cal machine gun at each end of the ship and shooting the evil bastards out of the water.  Works for me.

Is a ship flying under it's own flag not considered sovreign territory of that country?  (Sorry, I can't think of the correct term.)  Cruise ships are registered out of one country or another... if you break a law on one of their ships, are you not subject to their legal system?

probably not.  if you are in international waters, there is no territorial law.  at least as far as I am able to grasp it.

but that isn't the point.  the point is that these ships are being taken over by moe, larry, and curley.  it's just that they have guns.  hell, chris, you and I could take over a tanker next week.

give them guns.  guns protect civilization.  if it weren't for guns, we would all be visigoths right now.

[Wretched Excess]

I think someone suggested putting a .50 cal machine gun at each end of the ship and shooting the evil bastards out of the water.  Works for me.

Is a ship flying under it's own flag not considered sovreign territory of that country?  (Sorry, I can't think of the correct term.)  Cruise ships are registered out of one country or another... if you break a law on one of their ships, are you not subject to their legal system?

and cruise ships are typically registered out of whatever country hits them for the least tax, as far as I know.

[NHSparky]

From a naval standpoint, that's pretty much been why the Captain has been not just the word of God but God himself since the first ship sailed--no other legal authority once you leave the dock.  From where I sit, if a captain decides to arm himself to the teeth once he gets past the 3-mile limit, and defends his ship against an armed aggressor, I'd love to see WHICH authority would come after him, and on what authority they have.  I could almost see it now:

International "authority": We're going to charge you with illegally arming your ship and shooting up a ship full of pirates.

CO: I was defending my charge.

IA: No matter--many nations have signed on to our treaty.

CO: And where were they when my ship was being attacked?

[NHSparky]

Damn, Akhbar, I KNEW this would happen when they paid the ransom in pennies!!!

[LC EFA]

Damn, Akhbar, I KNEW this would happen when they paid the ransom in pennies!!!

Heh. At least one can say it was delivered to the right address, within a foot or so.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Sadly though the facts are that between the U.N. and international law there is practically no way anyone can do a thing about those pirates except pay the ransom. Once they get on the ship ,the laws say to basically give it to them without a fight and almost all nations agreed to never arm their civilian crews.

You're absolutely right, and we totally need to shitcan those rules.

[paladin0]

Sadly though the facts are that between the U.N. and international law there is practically no way anyone can do a thing about those pirates except pay the ransom. Once they get on the ship ,the laws say to basically give it to them without a fight and almost all nations agreed to never arm their civilian crews.

Navies need to start putting Q ships back into service. That would cut down on pirate attacks.

Paladin0

[Ptarmigan]

Darwin Award Winner!