what would you do with the maersk / pirate situation?

[queenlives]

seems to me the shipping companies could modify their routes, arm their crews, etc. of course, that would increase the cost of their operation / hit profits, etc.

failing those actions, as much as i'd hate to see the loss of life of the crews, sinking a few hostage ships might cause a change in pirate behavior.

any thoughts / comments on what should be done @ this point? (i just read the french stormed a ship and lost a hostage, but saved several others.)

 

[KooLaid]

Will the sound cannon work? Knock them all out.

 

[steveny]

Have a diver go under the ship and cut a hole in it.

Hire a really good sniper?

Have armed guards on the ships before they are taken over.

Go take the pirates family members hostage.

offer them the ransom but pay it in counterfeit money that has been seized.

give the pirates with gold, put it out on a small boat where they need to leave the hostage then after the hostage is in the small boat blow the big boat up. Retrive the gold from the bottom of the ocean.

 

[ChopsJazz]

I know California Corrections don't negotiate with hostage takers. Why should the Navy? If there are no negotiations then there is no ransom and no piracy. Sounds too simple, doesn't it?

I'm thinking vessels in that region know it's dangerous out there and should be prepared to repel pirates (I can't write that without thinking of eye patches and swords).

 

[NSXrunner]

How's that? :biggrin:

 

[Cairo94507]

Come on....4 untrained axxholes with guns and the Navy can't take them out from a couple of miles away? Get some snipers that know their trade and give them the ability to resolve that BS right now.

Instead we are spending how many millions sending multiple Navy vessels to deal with this. Kill those blood thirsty murderous bastards. Then kill their friends that even think being a pirate would be a good idea.

 

[NSX-Stalker]

Sharks with frikken lazer beams. Problem solved.

 

[davidf]

Why are'nt such ships allowed to arm themselves?

 

[H-carWizKid]

It is getting more complicated as other pirates are now maneuvering other hostage ships to the location of the lifeboat...

I imagine Pirates will try to add the currency of the other hostages to the situation.

My opinion- when the captain jumped out of the lifeboat this morning they should have blown the fucking thing out of the water-

then you just have 5 dudes in the water- scoop em up...

P

 

[ozone]

I think there's more to the story...wouldn't this be a simple rescue operation for the world's most powerful Navy?

Anyways, here's a different take on Somali piracy, that probably won't find much love on this forum. Even if you disagree, it's an interesting read. Remember, George Washington contracted pirates to protect us from the British Royal Navy when we didn't have a Navy of our own:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/you-are-being-lied-to-abo_b_155147.html

(Note this is not relevant to the current situation)

 

[ChopsJazz]

Here's the answer.

 

[Osiris_x11]

solved!

[Flying] Sharks with frikken lazer beams. Problem solved.

 

[Cragar]

Why are'nt such ships allowed to arm themselves?

Wish they could. That would fix the problem over night. A couple dead pirates would cause the rest to find some other crime.


Problem is that these ships travel in international waters that all have different laws prohibiting armed sailors. I think most people in the U.S.A. would be a bit nervous seeing a cargo ship trying to sail in U.S. waters with armed Arab sailors because the ship left Yemen with it's cargo and had to cross pirate infested waters to get here.

This would also be a problem for civilian sailors with home ports in Britain or Australia because their governments will not allow people to own guns on dry land let alone out on the open seas.

Anybody remember one of the the around the world attempts to circumnavigate the globe with a hot air balloon by ( I think ) Steve Fossett ? He almost had to abort because some country ( I think Egypt ) had not given permission to cross their airspace ? I think he got permission at the last minute or the winds changed or something. Like a hot air balloon at some insane altitude is a threat or hazard - NOT.

However , where there is a problem , there is opportunity.

I suggest this ~

Get some Blackwater guys or Spec Ops retirees and let them become mercs for hire. Have them based in the Gulf of Arden and when entering the area pick up a group , travel through the gulf , Have someone pick them up at the other side for a trip going the other way .

Could be a rather profitable gig , with a great side affect - DEAD PIRATES.

There is no law or government currently in the area which makes this much easier to implement , Plus dead pirates make others quit.

 

[sicarius82]

...Get some Blackwater guys or Spec Ops retirees and let them become mercs for hire...

as mercenaries, they typically work for the highest bidder. don't you think that some may be hired by pirates and take over the ship without even taking one of their ships and chasing down a cruise liner? just my concern, but i do agree with hiring snipers/mercenaries to help out.

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

Surely we have boomers in the region. I would not discount the nuclear option...

 

[kelsodeez]

Have a diver go under the ship and cut a hole in it.

Hire a really good sniper?

Have armed guards on the ships before they are taken over.

Go take the pirates family members hostage.

offer them the ransom but pay it in counterfeit money that has been seized.

give the pirates with gold, put it out on a small boat where they need to leave the hostage then after the hostage is in the small boat blow the big boat up. Retrive the gold from the bottom of the ocean.

i agree with everything you said except about retrieving the gold. that would just be wayyyy too costly of an operation and whats going to stop one of the recovery divers from pocketing a bar or two and saying it was lost in the wreckage?

i hate how america always has the need to take to moral high ground. these pirates would cut your throat in a second and rape your daughter and child just because they want to. why not fight fire with fire? im not advocating raping or anything, but taking their family members into custody is a good idea.

also, how do we know that these shipping companies arent in cahoots with these pirates? "lets send out a ship with a not-so-honest cargo list. get some good insurance on the cargo, and have it disappear. PROFIT!"

 

[NSXclear]

We should offer them a job retrainning program.

We ship them to Nigeria to teach them the fine art of bank email scams instead of piracy. Pirates....wtf...this is the 21st century.

 

[ozone]

We should offer them a job retrainning program.

We ship them to Nigeria to teach them the fine art of bank email scams instead of piracy. Pirates....wtf...this is the 21st century.

I know you're joking, but ultimately the pirates will be co-opted--essentially retrained.. Last year they made over $80M in ransom. Can you imagine what that is like in Somalia--a few billion perhaps?

The long-term strategy is unlikely to be war or capturing their families. It will be some deal paying them off for free passage--perhaps in the way of aid, bribes, etc to the ring-leaders. Fees that will far exceed $80M. That's what happened in Iraq, and is or will happen in Afghanistan to decrease violence. Not very glamorous, but very capitalistic.

 

[CL65 Captain]

I think that they should get a retention bonus from the TARP funds.

Oh wait, that's only for the AIG Pirates that held the whole United States hostage. :biggrin:

 

[Ski_Banker]

Couldn't they mount a .50 to the bow and stern of the boats going through that region? I should think that would be a pretty good deterrent. It could make swiss cheese out of any small boats approaching with pirates aboard.

I *do* think there is an active role for the Navy's of the world to police the area as long as piracy is a problem. Our tax dollars, first and foremost, pay for the security of our citizens and businesses -- this shouldn't be any different. Since it's an international problem, and one that doesn't require much firepower, it should be well suited for UN-type involvement. The UN could even outline rules of engagement whereby shippers are allowed to fire on unidentified boats under specific circumstances (so shippers have clear, international guidelines on when and how force could be used).

 

[chumch]

It is for insurance purposes that the ships do not arm the sailors. It would be more costly to pay the families of sailors killed in fire fights with pirates than to simply pay a 2 million dollar ransom.

My solution would be to pay the pirates the ransom and as they are leaving with it, blow their ship up. Ransom money is lost but they will not repeat.

 

[Jetpilot3]

There's always two sides to a story and I'm sure we are not hearing the Somali side...

I bet there's some merit in that article posted above...maybe not nuclear but I'd believe the fishing for sure (I live in the Middle East and you hear about depleting fisheries alot from the people of Oman).

 

[xrc]

seems to me the shipping companies could modify their routes, arm their crews, etc. of course, that would increase the cost of their operation / hit profits, etc.

failing those actions, as much as i'd hate to see the loss of life of the crews, sinking a few hostage ships might cause a change in pirate behavior.

any thoughts / comments on what should be done @ this point? (i just read the french stormed a ship and lost a hostage, but saved several others.)

This is a good thought, but unfortunately there are so many pirates out there and so many dhows (small boats that shippers/fisherman/pirates) traval on. They all look that same, and there are thousands of them out there. Far more than the number of Navy ships out there patrolling. The Navy does actively patrol these areas and board these dhows to look for weapons, drug, and human trafficking. IMO the only sure way to prevent this would be to have a Navy escort for every ship out there, but that isn't possible due to the number of ships that would need an escort and the alternate missions of the Navy.

Secondly, piracy has been going on for ages, and unfortunatley I don't see any end to it in the near future. As for sinking a few pirate ships to set an example, it will not work as for a pirate, this is thier way of life and the only means to making a living that they know of. If there is are pirates next to a Navy ship (British/American/Austrailian) they will not do anything but pretend that they are a fishing vessel, simply because they know that they do not stand a chance.

As far as the hostage situation goes, it is more complex that one might think.

All this coming from an active duty Navy guy with experience in searching/boarding these dhows looking for the bad guys...

Jason

 

[heathbar0]

First - Stop sending aid ships to this area. Problem solved.

The JackHoles take a ship carrying aid to their country?!?!?!?


Second - Ultimatum: Release the hostage or you die.

Send a warning to the world: DON'T F*CK WITH THE USA.

 

[steveny]

i hate how america always has the need to take to moral high ground. these pirates would cut your throat in a second and rape your daughter and child just because they want to. why not fight fire with fire? im not advocating raping or anything, but taking their family members into custody is a good idea.

You are absolutely right. It's the problem with this country and has been for a while. We need to flex every now and then to send out a message.