Pirates hijack Singapore-bound oil tanker

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Reuters

Reuters) - Pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades and small arms hijacked a Kuwaiti-owned oil tanker bound for Singapore from Sudan on Monday, the European Union's anti-piracy task force said.

"At approximately 0900 (GMT) on 28 March, the Crude Oil Tanker the MV ZIRKU was pirated approximately 250 nautical miles southeast of Salalah in the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden," EU Navfor said on its website.

It was not immediately clear whether the tanker was fully laden with crude. Sudan is an oil-exporting country.

Tankers are a prized catch for ransom-seeking Somali pirates who operate as far south as Madagascar and as far east as a few hundred miles off India.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/28/us-somalia-piracy-idUSTRE72R4AN20110328?WT.tsrc=Social%20Media&WT.z_smid=twtr-reuters_%20com&WT.z_smid_dest=Twitter

[hayu_lol]

1. Looks like it may be time to consider...

convoys of 10-20 ships escorted by a couple of military frigates(with helo gunships). The alternative might be to set up a freighter or tanker as a 'Q'ship with hidden heavy weapons...this was a WWII tactic. India or Pakistan could cover convoys headed east and some other country could handle traffic headed for the Capetown area west.

[footinmouth]

2. Scary stuff

My son's a crew member of an ocean-going vessel. They travelled those waters on his last hitch. They did have an escort through the Suez Canal. After that, they had several retired Navy Seals on board with them. The crew is not allowed to be armed but the Seals were. I felt better that they were aboard.

[Toucano]

3. Go, pirates! n/t

[SpartanDem]

4. Are you serious?

you're cheering the pirates?

[conspirator]

6. Considering that the wealth carried in those tankers is not being well distributed

I am not suprised to see people cheering the pirates. They are not robin hoods, but they stick it to the man.

[SpartanDem]

7. What about the crew?

You the know the HUMAN BEINGS who work on this ship and now being held hostage by pirates who have sometimes killed. People have some messed up priorties when screwing the oil copmany is more important than the safety of the people onboard.

[footinmouth]

9. The crew are in danger

And trust me, they are not "sticking it to the man".

[footinmouth]

8. How insensitive

Did you not see my post right above yours. My son works on one of those vessels. This is not funny.

[Devil_Fish]

5. This shit is getting rediculous. We can take on Libiya, Afganistan, and Iraq all at the same time,

But we can't stop Somali pirates? give me a break....