Tanks for the Pyracy

[Graydog]

Its seems the current day pirates have been at it again. This time they got a Ukrainian ship that was loaded with 33 fully equipped T-72 tanks! Talk about yer booty.

Now, if just one of those tanks had been on the deck and operational, could be we'd be reading about a nasty end to some nasty pirates instead.

Pirates Seize Tanks

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

There be another set 'o Somali pirates wot ain't gettin' off so easy. Seems they snagged an Irannian freighter out of China, headin' fer Germany. Cargo is supposed ta be several thousand tons 'o iron ore and technical parts. Reports is that several 'o the pirates have died from strange burns an hair loss.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/200...urrounds_hi.php

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

Within a period of three days, those pirates who had boarded the ship and opened the cargo container with its gritty sand-like contents, all developed strange health complications, to include serious skin burns and loss of hair. And within two weeks, sixteen of the pirates subsequently died, either on the ship or on shore.

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That be a quote from a cybership wot might have one gunnel wetter than the other. Pack yer tricorne full 'o foil or not, could be the worlds biggest dirty bomb complete wi' glow in the dark pirates.

There be too many sites usin' rumor as fact or unnamed sources and annoyemus tips ta pull much fact out of it. Black ops mis an disinfo don't make it any easier on the common folk ta connect the dots.

[Hawk the QM]

What I find rather ironic about this situation is that the government of Somalia specifically wanted more Russian ships to guard their waters. They said something about feeling safer with her over all other countries.

Had Russia been a fraction of their former selves, they would destroy their own ship with the equipment on board rather then watch in the hands of the "enemy".

Yaaaaaaar!

[Graydog]

While the ship of tanks seems to dropped off the news. The new super tanker capture is generating more news.

There is a great article over at MSN talking about the pirate society that is evolving in the region;

Yo Ho in Somalia

For those that don't want to use the link- Article is below

AP Story

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women — even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.

"The pirates depend on us, and we benefit from them," said Sahra Sheik Dahir, a shop owner in Haradhere, the nearest village to where a hijacked Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude was anchored Wednesday.

These boomtowns are all the more shocking in light of Somalia's violence and poverty: Radical Islamists control most of the country's south, meting out lashings and stonings for accused criminals. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging this arid African country into chaos.

Life expectancy is just 46 years; a quarter of children die before they reach 5.

Pirate economy thriving

But in northern coastal towns like Haradhere, Eyl and Bossaso, the pirate economy is thriving thanks to the money pouring in from pirate ransoms that have reached $30 million this year alone.

In Haradhere, residents came out in droves to celebrate as the looming oil ship came into focus this week off the country's lawless coast. Businessmen started gathering cigarettes, food and cold glass bottles of orange soda, setting up small kiosks for the pirates who come to shore to re-supply almost daily.

Dahir said she is so confident in the pirates, she instituted a layaway plan just for them.

"They always take things without paying and we put them into the book of debts," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "Later, when they get the ransom money, they pay us a lot."

'They are happy'

For Somalis, the simple fact that pirates offer jobs is enough to gain their esteem, even as hostages languish on ships for months. The population makes sure the pirates are well-stocked in qat, a popular narcotic leaf, and offer support from the ground even as the international community tries to quash them.

"Regardless of how the money is coming in, legally or illegally, I can say it has started a life in our town," said Shamso Moalim, a 36-year-old mother of five in Haradhere.

"Our children are not worrying about food now, and they go to Islamic schools in the morning and play soccer in the afternoon. They are happy."

Despite a beefed-up international presence, the pirates continue to seize ships, moving further out to sea and demanding ever-larger ransoms. The pirates operate mostly from the semiautonomous Puntland region, where local lawmakers have been accused of helping the pirates and taking a cut of the ransoms.

For the most part, however, the regional officials say they have no power to stop piracy.

Betting on better life

Meanwhile, towns that once were eroded by years of poverty and chaos are now bustling with restaurants, Land Cruisers and Internet cafes. Residents also use their gains to buy generators — allowing full days of electricity, once an unimaginable luxury in Somalia.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of pirates operating in Somalia, but they must number in the thousands. And though the bandits do sometimes get nabbed, piracy is generally considered a sure bet to a better life.

NATO and the U.S. Navy say they can't be everywhere, and American officials are urging ships to hire private security. Warships patrolling off Somalia have succeeded in stopping some pirate attacks. But military assaults to wrest back a ship

The attackers generally treat their hostages well in anticipation of a big payday, hiring caterers on shore to cook spaghetti, grilled fish and roasted meat that will appeal to a Western palate. They also keep a steady supply of cigarettes and drinks from the shops on shore. And when the payday comes, the money sometimes literally falls from the sky.

Cash is king

Pirates say the ransom arrives in burlap sacks, sometimes dropped from buzzing helicopters, or in waterproof suitcases loaded onto tiny skiffs in the roiling, shark-infested sea.

"The oldest man on the ship always takes the responsibility of collecting the money, because we see it as very risky, and he gets some extra payment for his service later," Aden Yusuf, a pirate in Eyl, told AP over VHF radio.

The pirates use money-counting machines — the same technology seen at foreign exchange bureaus worldwide — to ensure the cash is real. All payments are done in cash because Somalia, a failed state, has no functioning banking system.

"Getting this equipment is easy for us, we have business connections with people in Dubai, Nairobi, Djibouti and other areas," Yusuf

End of Story

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

Fer wot its worth-

US Navy has intercepted and boarded an Iranian freighter loaded wi' hidden weapons/rockets an such.

I finds it strangely disturbing to read of US military actions from foreign sources as opposed to hearing it from our "free" press

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Fer wot its worth-

US Navy has intercepted and boarded an Iranian freighter loaded wi' hidden weapons/rockets an such.

I finds it strangely disturbing to read of US military actions from foreign sources as opposed to hearing it from our "free" press

Did they happen to say WHERE it was intercepted? Or WHERE they thought it was headed?

I remember a few years ago where a chinese freighter grounded on the NY/NJ shore and a bunch of people jumped ship. It has always been my opinion that it is just too easy (or appears to be) to pull up at any point of our coast line. And with the proper short range missles, they would not even have to get too very close.

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

I just did a search on "Iran cargo ship smuggling missles".

I can't vouch for the sites or information. The jist of the articles was that US and Egyptian forces had intercepted an Irannian freighter in international waters near gulf of Aden. Ship had been renamed several times after leaving port. Illegal cargo of 30-50 missles and several tons of other goodies to be offloaded in "Smugglers Cove" then transported up Sinai into Gaza.

Had this happened several weeks ago the main stream media would be all over it. The silence is odd, no admission, no denial, no confirmation

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Now official, its up at WND.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Morgan Dreadlocke