Pirates seize $100m Saudi Super Tanker

cosmictraveler

cosmictraveler

Be kind to yourself always.
Valued Senior Member
Somali pirates have seized a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean and are steering it towards Somalia, the US Navy reports.


The Sirius Star is the biggest ship ever to be hijacked, with a capacity of 2m barrels - more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output.

The vessel was captured on Saturday some 450 nautical miles (830km) off the Kenyan coast.

Its international crew of 25, including two Britons, is said to be safe.

US Navy officials said the hijacking was unprecedented and marks a fundamental shift in their capabilities.

'Holding hostages'

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the pirates were well trained.

"They're very good at what they do," he told a Pentagon briefing in Washington


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7733482.stm
 
Russia got its ships in Somalia waters protecting cargos as well...guess the Saudis didnt pay anyone for escort
 
But heh, cosmic, wouldnt it be nice to become a pirate once for a change? I mean after dull office life, go outthere to the sea and the ocean with a M-14 and rocket launchers and stop big metal ship with lots of goodies...oh what a glorious end to cherish
 
I think that their timing is a bit off. Oil is only 50.00 a barrel now but 1 month ago it was 150.00!
 
cosmictraveler said:
I think that their timing is a bit off. Oil is only 50.00 a barrel now but 1 month ago it was 150.00!
Click to expand...

so what? its fun, man. The pirate American Mr.Cosmic, after serving the US army, the general forfeits into Somalia and joins the Somalian Pirates...friends and family in shock...
 
Yar!

captain_mad.gif
 
Pirates seize $100m Oil Super Tanker

In what was the largest heist by pirates in world history, pirates have seized the Saudi super tanker Sirius Star which was fully laden with 2 million barrels of oil!
Pirates operating off the coast of east Africa have hijacked a Saudi supertanker fully laden with an estimated 2m barrels of oil in an attack that marks a significant escalation in the scope of banditry in the region.

The pirates, believed to be from lawless Somalia, seized control of the Sirius Star, which is owned by Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, on Saturday, 450 nautical miles south-east of the Kenyan Indian Ocean port of Mombasa.

It is estimated that the tanker was holding more than a quarter of the daily exports from Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter. The oil would have been worth about $100m (€79m, £66.5m) at Monday’s market price but is probably of little interest to the pirates.

Pottengal Mukundan, director of the International Maritime Bureau, said that the only cargoes that had interested Somali pirates previously were the shipments of World Food Programme aid.

Instead, pirates seize vessels to extort ransoms – often of about $2m – from shipowners desperate to have their crews returned.

The tanker is about three times the tonnage of a US aircraft carrier, making it the largest vessel ever seized by pirates.

The attack also took place farther out to sea than before, signalling that the pirates have become increasingly bold, organised and able to adapt their tactics, experts say. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e10892ba-b4a8-11dd-b780-0000779fd18c.html
Click to expand...
 
madanthonywayne said:
In what was the largest heist by pirates in world history, pirates have seized the Saudi super tanker Sirius Star which was fully laden with 2 million barrels of oil!
Click to expand...

We could stop it if we wanted to do so. No one is willing to pay the price, so .......fuck 'em. :D

Baron Max
 
OK, let me get this straight. A ship with a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil export loaded onto it, sailing in a pirate infested seazone, and only a crew of 25?
 
G. F. Schleebenhorst said:
OK, let me get this straight. A ship with a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil export loaded onto it, sailing in a pirate infested seazone, and only a crew of 25?
Click to expand...

Nope, they were in the open waters far from the "known" pirate zones.

We could stop the piracy if we wanted to. But no one seems interested in paying the price. So, ....fuck 'em!

Baron Max
 
I heard one of the pirates entered the bridge wearing a steering wheel around his crotch...when asked about it by the captain...the pirate replied.."Arrrggg...it's drivin' me nuts!" :)
 
Somalia is in the grip of US backed Ethiopian occupation. They need money to fight the 500 million dollars the US is pouring into Ethiopia to assist their genocide. An oil tanker is not much, but it will meet some costs. Before this they hijacked a Mossad ship and an Indian ship.

Somali pirates are holding at least 11 ships for ransom, including a Ukrainian vessel carrying 33 Soviet-era tanks that was seized late last month.

Pirates are demanding a ransom of at least $8 million for release of that ship. U.S. warships have been keeping a close watch on the MV Fania for several weeks.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-10-21-voa30.cfm
Click to expand...
 
S.A.M. said:
Somalia is in the grip of US backed Ethiopian occupation. .....
Click to expand...

....LOL! So it's all the fault of the Americans, huh, SAM?? :D

Of course one wonders why you bother to link anything ....why not just make up one simple phrase like "Every problem of the world is caused by the USA!", then just post it on every single thread? Wouldn't that be easier? :shrug:

Baron Max
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top