Somali pirates hijack Pakistan-flagged ship

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya — The spokesman for the European Union's anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have hijacked a Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel.

Cmdr. John Harbour says the pirates seized the MV Shahbaig Tuesday. He says there are 29 crew on board and more details will be available later Wednesday.

Pirates are still holding hundreds of crew and a dozen vessels hostage in Somalia. Piracy has remained at high levels this year despite a growing number of international warships and extra safety precautions taken by merchant vessels.


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD9CFNGJ00

[Lasher]

1. These crews should arm themselves.

And blow them out of the water.

[hayu_lol]

2. I believe that international marine law prevents...

these vessels from arming their crews.

Doesn't mean however, that the laws cannot be changed when the need arises.

[Lasher]

4. Don't think so.

Remember that US flagged ship where the Somali pirates captured the captain? US snipers shot two of them to save the day. Well pirates attacked that same ship recently, but they were repelled by armed forces aboard her.

But like you say, if there are prohibitive regulations they need to be changed. This is not a complicated thing. I could probably hold these pirates off, acting alone with nothing else but my deer rifle.

[Posteritatis]

12. The first set of snipers were the US Navy

As for the second attack, I'm more than a little interested in knowing what was going on with that one, whether it affected their docking rights at various ports, etc.

[ManiacJoe]

6. It is not so much the maritime laws as

the laws of the ports the ships go to.

[Xithras]

10. It's perfectly legal to arm private vessels.

You can mount a howitzer on the stern of your fishing trawler and sail around the Pacific all day long if you want.

The legal complication comes when you put into port. Many nations don't permit the personal use of firearms, or at least require that owners be licensed or approved first. These laws apply to sailors docking in their ports too. I can sail from the U.S. with an SKS on board and sail around the Caribbean without breaking any laws. The moment I dock in Bermuda, however, I'd be arrested because that weapon is illegal there.

Private security firms have come up with a rather interesting way to get around these laws. Decent long arms can be had for only a few hundred dollars each. In nations where private ownership is permitted, the firms are hiring private armed security agents (typically former military) who can get permits to hold weapons in that nations ports. Those guards then enter the ships armed and sail with the ship to its destination. Just before hitting the territorial waters of the destination nation (where the ship is presumably safe), the arms are thrown overboard into the ocean. The total cost, including the replacement cost of the lost weapon and transportation back home, is typically only a few thousand dollars per security agent, per trip. That's considered dirt cheap, since most of these ships contain millions of dollars (or at least hundreds of thousands) worth of goods, and since a hijacking and ransom would probably cost them at least a million.

[nodehopper]

3. I love how much outrage there is in the media about the pirates

And zilch about European ships dumping nuclear waste off the Somali coast, and overfishing further up the coast, since Somalia doesn't have a government to intervene.

[C_Lawyer09]

5. Exactly

The "now pirates" were disenfranchised Somali fisherman that had their waters toxified by nuclear waste by many European nations, Russians, and a few Asian nations. They were hosed with scalding water, and often run over. Now their ports are full, of foreign nation ships, there to "help" the failing African states. Good post, this wasn't front page news. I was shocked when I found this buried under all sorts of nothing.

[ManiacJoe]

7. Two wrongs do not make a right.

If the pirates were attacking the ships of the offenders, then the pirates would probably be gettings lots of support from the world.

[The Stranger]

8. Please tell me you aren't being serious.

You really can't be serious with the "two wrongs don't make a right" inanity. We destroy their nation and livelihood, feel sanctimonious about it, and when they resort to piracy we tell them that?

[ManiacJoe]

9. Dead serious.

The ends do not justify the means. If the locals want to use pirate tactics to defend their sea, land, and people against the offenders then more power to them. If they want to use pirate tactics against the non-offenders, then the pirates have no moral or legal standing for doing so and need to be taken down by whatever means necessary.

One does not get to claim self defense when unjustly attacking innocent people.

[The Stranger]

11. That is still being far too simplistic . . .

. . . and it is a simplemindedness justifying imperialistic power.

Which seems prevalent these days.

[ManiacJoe]

13. Sometimes things really are that simple.

Feel free to explain why you think their actions are justified due to the more complex situation.

Also feel free to point out where anyone is justifying imperialistic power.

[RedCloud]

14. But three do!