Modern Pirates

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[cptnchris]

1. On 6 November 2010, the Marshall Islands-flagged MV Samho Dream was released from under pirate control. The MV Samho Dream, a Marshall Islands-owned crude oil tanker, deadweight 319,360 tonnes, was pirated on 4 April 2010 approximately 600 nautical miles off the Somali coast. The MV Samho Dream has a crew of 24, of which 19 Filipinos and 5 South Koreans.
Notice what I bolded, how long under pirate control I guess  

2. On 6 November 2010, the EU NAVFOR Dutch ship HNLMS Amsterdam successfully located and disrupted one Pirate Action Group (PAG) comprised of two skiffs with nine suspected pirates onboard. (Full story here (http://www.marinelink.com/news/amsterdam-disrupts336133.aspx).)

Good to hear  

[Vige]

Another Mighty Ships episode free to all on Yahoo7 until 27 November.

http://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/mighty-ships/-/watch/8310808/sat-13-nov-becrux/

This one is about the livestock carrier Becrux that transports cattle from Australia to Indonesia and the Middle East.

[cptnchris]

The world’s independent tanker owners, INTERTANKO and its Members and Associate Members, are pleased that Paul and Rachel Chandler have been freed from captivity after more than a year of being held by Somali pirates, and amidst a wave of delighted media euphoria.

Regrettably there are more than 530 seafarers currently held by Somali pirate gangs and more than 800 have been captured this year alone and forcibly detained for periods of up to 180 days. Since the first pirate hijacking in the Gulf of Aden/Arabian, more than 2,500 seafarers have been taken and forced at gunpoint into captivity.

Hundreds of seafarers are risking their freedom every day to allow ships to keep moving through this busy international marine corridor linking West with East, thereby ensuring that oil, chemicals and gas, food, raw materials and finished products all reach their destinations unhindered.

But think for a moment of how these seafarers feel as they prepare for a transit of the Gulf of Aden, studying Best Management Practice specific to their situation, erecting defenses such as razor wire and water cannon, practicing protective procedures and maneuvers.

Think for a moment of how these seafarers feel after six months or more in captivity under armed guard, and of the worry devastating their families and friends. These men are held captive on the vessels, not in lodgings ashore. Deprived of freedom of movement, they are imprisoned by armed guards whose behaviour may be erratic and unpredictable, sometimes being forced to experience mock executions as part of the ransom negotiation process.

Now think for a moment how every one of us would be affected if our seafarers said enough is enough and cargoes were delayed as they were re-routed round South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope – over 90% of global trade goes by sea.

Ultimately the safety and welfare of our seafarers comes first. Governments from all over the world are working alongside the shipping industry to safeguard crews, ships and cargoes that transit this area. International naval forces are cooperating here to discourage and prevent pirate attacks and we thank those countries involved for their commitment to facilitating free trade when others are actively trying to prevent it.

However we urge governments to strive to bring about the prosecution of all those committing acts of piracy on the high seas – it is reported that over 70% of those pirates captured are released without being prosecuted – so that they might be punished instead of re-equipping and going straight back out to attack more merchant ships and endanger more seafarers. We also urge them to find an effective way of pursuing pirates on land, where they store their new-found and illegally-gained wealth, as well as at sea.

Our seafarers are putting their safety on the line for the benefit of every single one of us all over the world. Yet their role in global trade is barely acknowledged outside the shipping industry. They are working for you. They need your support.

Source (http://www.marinelink.com/news/seafarers-pirates-still336246.aspx)

[Mad_Fred]

Well, as sad as it all is that honest hardworking folks are taken and being held captive, it's a bit overly dramatic  at the end there.. 

They're not soldiers being sent somewhere against their will, they chose this profession even when aware of the dangers.. most are in it for a paycheck, not to save our free Western World from utter chaos. I'm sure they don't feel like warriors for democracy and fair trade.. they're just doing their jobs, making a living, like many many people that have hazardous jobs.. 

And if the tanker owners didn't want to squeeze every last drop of income out of every last drop of oil, they could have already given these ships an awful lot more protection, I would think. They're also the ones that are partially responsible for, for example, ruining income for local fishing villages thus driving some of the deadpoor fishermen to piracy. Maybe instead of urging others to do something, they could also protect their own employees a bit better with legal yet non lethal means to repel attacks on their vessels. 

Ultimately the big wigs only really care about money, not human life. If they did, they wouldn't send their discarded ships to those very nasty scrapyards in India and such, knowing about the conditions and that tons of people die, get maimed, poisoned, etc, during the dismantling of their ex vessels, for nearly no pay at all...

I'm not saying they're all like that.. but.. money and power often corrupts.. and you only have to watch some of those documentaries about the subjects to see what the reality is like... not pretty.. though it's pretty for those guys in the ivory towers on their big leather seats, of course. 

But yes, ofcourse there should be much tougher punishment for those that commit piracy. That goes without saying... if they release them to just go on and hijack more ships, then that's not very productive. That's just stupid.



Fred

[cptnchris]

I agree with you 100% Fred.

 "And if the tanker owners didn't want to squeeze every last drop of income out of every last drop of oil, they could have already given these ships an awful lot more protection, I would think. They're also the ones that are partially responsible for, for example, ruining income for local fishing villages thus driving some of the deadpoor fishermen to piracy. Maybe instead of urging others to do something, they could also protect their own employees a bit better with legal yet non lethal means to repel attacks on their vessels.  

Ultimately the big wigs only really care about money, not human life. If they did, they wouldn't send their discarded ships to those very nasty scrapyards in India and such, knowing about the conditions and that tons of people die, get maimed, poisoned, etc, during the dismantling of their ex vessels, for nearly no pay at all...

I'm not saying they're all like that.. but.. money and power often corrupts.. and you only have to watch some of those documentaries about the subjects to see what the reality is like... not pretty.. though it's pretty for those guys in the ivory towers on their big leather seats, of course."

Extremelly good points. Although piracy is bad, these businesses helped ruin the economy for the Somalians. It gets way dramatic at the end also I must say   "They are working for you. They need your support." Support? Support what?!?! And how??