Somali pirates hijack Saudi oil tanker

[piercehawkeye45]

Nah....all you need is an American accent. Then they know (assume) you got the money.

[TheMercenary]

And getting their booty.

[classicman]

By KATHARINE HOURELD
Associated Press Writer

(AP:NAIROBI, Kenya) Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the American crew of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship had retaken control from Somali pirates who hijacked the vessel far off the Horn of Africa.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because information was still preliminary. But they said the hijacked crew had apparently contacted the private company that operates the ship.

"Speculation is a dangerous thing when you're in a fluid environment. I will not confirm that the crew has overtaken this ship," he said.

Capt. Joseph Murphy, an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, told The Associated Press that his son Shane, the second in command on the ship, had called him to say the crew had regained control.

A U.S. official said the crew had retaken control and had one pirate in custody.

"The crew is back in control of the ship," a U.S. official said at midday, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak on the record. "It's reported that one pirate is on board under crew control _ the other three were trying to flee," the official said. The status of the other pirates was unknown, the official said, but they were reported to "be in the water."

Another U.S. official, citing a readout from an interagency conference call, said: "Multiple reliable sources are now reporting that the Maersk Alabama is now under control of the U.S. crew. The crew reportedly has one pirate in custody. The status of others is unclear, they are believed to be in the water."

The ship was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was hijacked, said Peter Beck-Bang, spokesman for the Copenhagen-based container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk.

It was the sixth vessel seized within a week, a rise that analysts attribute to a new strategy by Somali pirates who are operating far from the warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden.

"in the water" That is not a place you want to be. Might be dolphins about.

[classicman]

Another update

NAIROBI, Kenya – The American crew of a hijacked U.S.-flagged ship retook control of the vessel from Somali pirates Wednesday but the captain was still being held hostage in a lifeboat, according to crew members.

U.S. officials said an American warship and a half dozen other ships were headed to the scene.

Kevin Speers, a spokesman for Maersk Lines Limited, confirmed that the crew had the Maersk Alabama and were unharmed but the captain was being held by pirates off the cargo ship.

"They're on another boat," he said. He gave no other details.

The second in command, Shane Murphy of Seekonk, Massachusetts, called his wife at 10 a.m EDT and told her that pirates had taken over the ship before dawn local time, she said.

Murphy said that pirates then had taken away the captain and he was now in charge, Serena Murphy, 31, told The Associated Press from her front doorstep.

[classicman]

– Somali pirates and their hostage American sea captain were adrift in a lifeboat Thursday off the Horn of Africa, shadowed by a U.S. destroyer with more warships on the way in a U.S. show of force. The U.S. brought in FBI hostage negotiators to work with the military in trying to secure the release of Capt. Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vt. An official said the bandits were in talks with the Navy about resolving the standoff peacefully.

As the high-seas drama stretched into a second day, the freighter that was the target of the pirates steamed away from the lifeboat under armed U.S. Navy guard, with all of its crew safe — except for the captive captain.

The pirates tried to hijack the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama on Wednesday, but Phillips thwarted the takeover by telling his crew of about 20 to lock themselves in a room, the crew told stateside relatives.

The crew later overpowered some of the pirates, but Phillips, 53, surrendered himself to the bandits to safeguard his men, and four of the Somalis fled with him to an enclosed lifeboat, the relatives said.

This is an interesting development. Was this Captain brave or foolish... or both.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Probably both, we'll see if he was smart or not.

[classicman]

I heard that he tried to escape and was recaptured or prevented. I find it interesting that they are on a relatively small boat, 28', rather far out into the ocean and are trying to negotiate his release. The Navy is there and will not allow them to return to shore, nor another vessel. Can't they just wait them out? I'd assume there isn't a lot of food/water on that boat.

[Shawnee123]

Somalis are used to not eating. Haven't you seen the children? [\i'mgoingtohell]

[Flint]

It is said the waters are too vast to fill with armed boats, yet we can't arm the freighters themselves because of varying national laws when they go to port. It is said that an international response is needed. I propose that an international agreement to arm the freighters, i.e. to craft laws allowing an international team of commandos on each boat, to be sanctioned as "okay" to enter port.

Of course, next thing you know, an imposter boat defense team will compromise some nation's border defense.

[BrianR]

I want to form a security company for these ships. I want only trained Special Operators from US forces. preference given to SEALs. We'd arrive well-armed by helicopter, stay aboard until the ship was in safe waters and then depart the same way before the ship made port. Negotiate a fee based on the size of the ship or perhaps the cargo. Payable in advance only. I could made a bloody fortune!

[Flint]

The A-Team.

[Shawnee123]

The Kids from C.A.P.E.R.

[sugarpop]

Well something clearly needs to be done. Pirates have been working in that area for the past couple of years, I think. Why they don't have helicopters supplying support when they sail off is beyond me. I mean really. They know these ships are in danger, and it's very hard for me to understand how a tiny boat with a few pirates can overtake a huge ship. Maybe they should have armed guards aboard. Use NATO forces, since they aren't bound to any one country.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Flint

It is said the waters are too vast to fill with armed boats, yet we can't arm the freighters themselves because of varying national laws when they go to port. It is said that an international response is needed.

If commercial shipping considered that risk significant, then convoys would form escorted by one or a few naval ships. Not done for one good reason: these pirate risks are not considered significant.

It makes big news in the press. Those who believe in 'big dic' solutions would advocate bigger guns. But shippers have better options that require no onboard military.

[sugarpop]

So we just allow them to keep kidnapping people and ships and holding them for ransom? Damn. Maybe I should move to Somalia and become a pirate. Dread Pirate Jazzy, that be me name. arg.