India sinks Somali pirate ship & Peter Swift’s propostion
Published - Monday, 24 November, 2008*News Update
Some of you may be aware, that the waters off of the Somali cost are the most dangerous in the world! They account for a third of the world’s pirates…
Last week giant Saudi oil tanker; Sirius Star become the largest vessel ever to be hijacked by Somali pirates off the Kenyan coast. The Sirius Star was carrying a cargo of two million barrels of oil – a quarter of Saudi Arabia’s daily output – worth more than $100m (£67m). These pirates are heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s and are known to receive tip-offs from contacts at ports in the Gulf of Aden.
The damage so far:
- 36 succe ssful hijackings
- 14 ships currently held, including the MV Faina carrying tanks
- 268 crew he ld hostage
An Indian navy warship destroyed the suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden. INS Tabar sank the pirate “mother ship” after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead.
Peter Swift, head of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko), said the UN could co-ordinate naval patrols in the area.
Mr Swift said “many tanker owners are considering a detour around South Africa to avoid pirates, and that this would raise costs by 30%. Attacks would have a major impact on world trade, but that Intertanko opposed arming merchant ships to defend against pirates. A blockade along Somalia’s coastline is not easy but some intervention there may be effective”
Tags: bbc, consumer tech, india, ins tabar, intertanko, peter swift, pr, sirius star
November 26th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Khristina, you seem to know alot about this?
November 26th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Well, this country has suffered for many years in the hands of terrorism…
We do not want to kick off 2009 with an invasion of pirates Captain!
Michael Goldfarb is thinking along the same lines : http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/11/pirates_have_a_friend_in_virgi_1.asp
We must be prepared!! Time to gather the troops…
November 26th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
just this morning i was worried about pirates…
January 26th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
ohh…nice post but really?/?