Why Didn’t Anyone Think Of This Before?
MOGADISHU: An Indian warship destroyed a pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden as gunmen from Somalia seized at least two more vessels despite a large international naval presence off their lawless country.
The Indian navy said the pirates fired on the INS Tabar after the officers asked it to stop to be searched. Indian forces fired back, destroying the ship, and then chased one of the speed boats, which was later found abandoned. The other escaped, according to a navy statement.
You’d think with all the warships outside of Somalia they’d start sinking all the pirate vessels – can’t be too much of a challenge…
The explosion of piracy off Somalia this year has driven up insurance costs, made some shipping companies divert around South Africa and prompted an unprecedented military response from NATO, the European Union and others.
Oh, that explains it… put Europe in charge of protection.
“The pirates are sending out a message to the world that ‘we can do what we want, we can think the unthinkable, do the unexpected’,” Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, told Reuters in Mombasa.
The buccaneers have taken a Thai fishing boat, a Hong Kong-flagged ship heading to Iran and a Greek bulk carrier since Saturday’s spectacular capture of a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million of oil, the biggest ship hijacked in history.
I say it’s time to shoot anything that floats.
Problem solved.
November 19th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Can’t imagine the “mothership” lasted very long. The INS vessel in question carrys a 60 RPM 100mm main mount and two twin 30mm gattling guns for close in work. 10000 to 12000 rounds per minute…….. each. The full 30mm round is about the size of a milk bottle of old.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
It’s time to send in a few ‘bait’ ships with a cargo full of Marines and kill every bastard who gets in their way. Outfit them with Predators too to get the ones who try to escape. If you can identify the village any of the pirates come from, send a few dozen cruise missiles in to ‘send a message’.
Or, alternatively, you can send Barry O! to have a chat with them. Whichever you think will work best.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Who’s footing the bill for the insurance on the hijacked ships and the ransoms? If insurance in that area depended on the ships going in convoy with appropriate escort, there would be fewer problems.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:02 am
If we had a a leader in America with some balls this would not be happening. This did not happen with Bush in office. IT IS A WAR ON TERROR. Not an over sea con….. WHATEVER!!!!