News Somali Pirates seize super tanker

[russ_watters]

Ships constantly broadcast their exact location.

Do they? How? Mine didn't...

I can think of two ways they might:
1. Manually, every few hours, via sat phone.
2. Automatically, constantly, via sat internet.

Now the likelihood that these methods are used by now (I left the navy 7 years ago and my ship had just gotten a 5 year-old electronics/computer refit...) is pretty high, but both of these methods are secure. Both are encrypted, but more importantly, both require a line of sight with a satellite (and therefore line of sight with any ship with sophisticated electronics gear to capture the weak signals. In addition, the satellite internet is directional.

I doubt that they are just sitting out there 350 miles from shore in hopes that a ship may come by. I have a gut feeling that they have bought a lot of radio equipment.

Well they wouldn't sit 350 miles from the Somali coast, since that would put them 150 miles inland in Yenen, but yeah, why couldn't they just sit there 150 miles from the coast and wait for ships to go by?

 

[Alfi]

just thinking

So the pirates demand a ransom from a BIG company.
The BIG company call the police and the banks.
They transfer the money and the ship is released.
( I presume no one is handing over cash )
Then they reverse the transfer and the ship is gone and the pirates don't get anything.

All this money has to show up on somebodies balance sheet.

 

[LowlyPion]

just thinking

So the pirates demand a ransom from a BIG company.
The BIG company call the police and the banks.
They transfer the money and the ship is released.
( I presume no one is handing over cash )
Then they reverse the transfer and the ship is gone and the pirates don't get anything.

All this money has to show up on somebodies balance sheet.

Interesting thought, but this would be why they demand cash dropped in duffels from airplanes I'd think. They aren't simply getting plastic cash cards or electronic transfers. They are pirates after all.

 

[BobG]

We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Maraud and embezzle and even high-jack
Drink up me hearties yo ho

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me

Being a pirate in Somalia isn't such a bad life. They make money and have fine looking wives (yes, they make a good enough living to afford a new one once in a while).

Somali pirates living the high life

They may have started out resorting to piracy because of illegal fishing, but I don't think they'd go back to fishing, now. Pretty standard crew make up:

BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says such pirate gangs are usually made up of three different types:

Ex-fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because they know the sea
Ex-militiamen, who are considered the muscle - having fought for various Somali clan warlords
The technical experts, who are the computer geeks and know how to operate the hi-tech equipment needed to operate as a pirate - satellite phones, GPS and military hardware.

 

[mheslep]

... why couldn't they just sit there 150 miles from the coast and wait for ships to go by?

Appears some of them do just that. WSJ says the pirates use large (~100ton) mother ships , e.g. a Taiwanese fishing boat (also pirated), which they use to tow around the small fast speed boats.

 

[mheslep]

Being a pirate in Somalia isn't such a bad life. They make money and have fine looking wives (yes, they make a good enough living to afford a new one once in a while).

Somali pirates living the high life

They may have started out resorting to piracy because of illegal fishing, but I don't think they'd go back to fishing, now. Pretty standard crew make up:

Many of the women from North East Africa - Ethiopia,Somalia - are very attractive.

 

[edward]

Do they? How? Mine didn't... Well they wouldn't sit 350 miles from the Somali coast, since that would put them 150 miles inland in Yenen, but yeah, why couldn't they just sit there 150 miles from the coast and wait for ships to go by?

Glad you are so knowledgeable Russ. They are commercial ships not navy submarines. Since you want to be picky, exactly where is Yenen?

The hijackers boarded the Maersk Alabama early Wednesday, when it was about 350 miles off the coast of Somalia, a haven for pirates attacking shipping through the Gulf of Aden. Capt. Richard Phillips was being held in the lifeboat after the pirates reneged on their agreement to exchange him for one of their own, who himself had been captured by the crew members, Quinn said.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/08/ship.hijacked/

The news can be confusing, the ships pass through the gulf of Aden. This one was already out in the Indian Ocean.

And they wouldn't sit there waiting for ships to come by because both the commercial ships and navy radar would give them a heads up.

What I was getting at is that this has gone on for so long the pirates have millions to invest in their own equipment including more sophisticated weapons as BobG mentioned above.

By this time they are most likely getting some inside information on shipping schedules departures ect.

 

[turbo]

By this time they are most likely getting some inside information on shipping schedules departures ect.

With the money they have from previous ransoms, it is also quite possible that they can hire spotters using private planes and GPS to locate merchant ships that are isolated and unprotected. It's pretty easy to spot a container ship or oil tanker out at sea, give a current location and rough heading by radio and set up an intercept.

 

[Proton Soup]

why not just hang some razor wire around the perimeter of the ship?

 

[mgb_phys]

Interesting thought, but this would be why they demand cash dropped in duffels from airplanes I'd think. They aren't simply getting plastic cash cards or electronic transfers. They are pirates after all.

You pay some lawyers in London a commission to arrange the payment ( ironically they probably make more money out of the hijacking than the pirates)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7847351.stm

 

[edward]

why not just hang some razor wire around the perimeter of the ship?

And run 50,000 volts through it.

This is interesting:

What is the AIS? Per 47 CFR §80.5 AIS is a maritime navigation safety communications system standardized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that provides vessel information, including the vessel's identity, type, position, course, speed, navigational status and other safety-related information automatically to appropriately equipped shore stations, other ships, and aircraft; receives automatically such information from similarly fitted ships; monitors and tracks ships; and exchanges data with shore-based facilities. Read more on what it is, how it works, what it broadcasts, and, the messages it uses, etc.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/enav/ais/AISFAQ.htm#1

 

[BobG]

The next one ?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/08/ship.hijacked/index.html

(CNN) -- Pirates near Somalia's coastline attacked a cargo ship Wednesday with a crew of at least 20 U.S. nationals aboard, according to the company that owns the vessel.

Maersk Line Ltd issued a statement saying it believes the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama was hijacked. If so, it would be the sixth hijacking over the past week in the region.
...

Is sailing wide of the area is not an option?

It is an expensive option

About 20,000 ships a year through the Gulf of Aden. About 70 ships attacked in 2008 with about a third of those being successful hijackings. Most of the ships attacked have been relatively small, with the few larger ones being the ones that actually make the news.

Of course, the pirates have been attacking larger ships and attacking further from shore as time has gone on. They invest back into their business and improve their capabilities.

One could predict that piracy will become more expensive, hence devoting a few more resources to combat it - or, if the costs of piracy can't be kept under control, to absorb the expense of taking a longer route.

Piracy might have a few other risks besides naval patrols. The MV Iran Deyanat seems to have a bit of mystery about it.

 

[mheslep]

why not just hang some razor wire around the perimeter of the ship?

And run 50,000 volts through it.

This is interesting:



http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/enav/ais/AISFAQ.htm#1

I believe one of the tactics has been to simply demand the crew lower a bording device, or the pirates fire on the vessel with an RPG or the like. An RPG pointed at an oil tanker will get the crews attention.

 

[russ_watters]

( I presume no one is handing over cash )
Then they reverse the transfer and the ship is gone and the pirates don't get anything.

No, they do, in fact, drop big bags of cash from helicopters/planes.

All this money has to show up on somebodies balance sheet.

Of course. It is basically treated the same way you treat highway tolls. It is a risk/cost of doing business. I'm an engineer and I know of engineering firms that build lawsuits into their operating budget!

 

[russ_watters]

Appears some of them do just that. WSJ says the pirates use large (~100ton) mother ships , e.g. a Taiwanese fishing boat (also pirated), which they use to tow around the small fast speed boats.

It was a rhetoriccal question. I know that's what they do.

 

[russ_watters]

Glad you are so knowledgeable Russ. They are commercial ships not navy submarines.

I was not on a submarine, I was a navigator on a frigate. You're welcome.

Since you want to be picky, exactly where is Yenen?

I would call what I was being "accurate" (and the last one was an obvious typo). What you are doing is called "sour grapes". You don't know as much as you think you do. It happens. Deal with it.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/08/ship.hijacked/

The news can be confusing, the ships pass through the gulf of Aden. This one was already out in the Indian Ocean.

Not sure where exactly it was when it was first intercepted*, but yeah, it was taken over after it passed through the gulf. Still, the vast majority happen exactly where I said they do: along the Yemeni coast (as far as you can get from Somalia without running aground). Here's a map of all of the reported attacks in 2008: http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=visualization&controller=visualization.googlemap&Itemid=89

And they wouldn't sit there waiting for ships to come by because both the commercial ships and navy radar would give them a heads up.

You can't tell the difference between a fishing boat and a pirate boat (since most pirate boats are fishing boats), so yeah, they can just sit there and wait. Also, due to the radar cross section, a pirate boat can see a container ship from probably double the distance the container ship can see them. In bad weather, they can even be completely radar invisible.

By this time they are most likely getting some inside information on shipping schedules departures ect.

That is unlikely for two reasons:
1. Inside information from whom? These are just thugs with fishing boats and AK-47s. It is not a sophisticated operation.
2. Why bother? The channel is heavily traveled and narrow. It's fish in a barrel.

[edit]*Here's an article that says it was first intercepted 380 miles East of Mogadishu, so it was in fact well south of the gulf. That is a highly unusual location for an attack. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/09/somali-pirates-us-ship
I will say though that I'm not 100% convinced the article is correct, though. If I were captain of a ship leaving the mouth of the gulf, I would lead their chase directly out to sea, which might cause pirates with weaker stomachs to break off the attack. The timeline says the ship was first intercepted between 12:00 and 2:00 and wasn't boarded until 5:30. That's enough time to lead them an extra 100 miles or so further out to sea.

 

[BobG]

That is unlikely for two reasons:
1. Inside information from whom? These are just thugs with fishing boats and AK-47s. It is not a sophisticated operation.
2. Why bother? The channel is heavily traveled and narrow. It's fish in a barrel.

It is probably unlikely, but not completely unthinkable. It has become a fairly sophisticated operation. They recruit some technically savvy folks to operate the more sophisticated equipment and they do have lawyers that negotiate the ransom for them.

Sometimes they do have inside information. It's the payor's preference to drop the money from the air. When they were paying by boat, it occurred to them that pirates might hijack the boat carrying the money before it ever reached the intended pirates.

But inside information probably is unnecessary inside the Gulf of Aden. All the traffic gets funneled into a pretty narrow shipping route.

The hijacks in open sea seem like they'd be a little tougher to pull off. It's still a fairly heavily traveled route. If they can pick up the AIS data, then I guess they could get themselves into a decent position. It's not like the commercial ships have resorted to zig zag patterns to throw off observers.

 

[edward]

I would call w What you are doing is called "sour grapes". You don't know as much as you think you do. It happens. Deal with it.

Right back at you Russ.

Not sure where exactly it was when it was first intercepted*, but yeah, it was taken over after it passed through the gulf.

It was well past the gulf and it was all over the news. You didn't even check before you jumped all over my post.

Was that arrogance or ignorance?

You can't tell the difference between a fishing boat and a pirate boat (since most pirate boats are fishing boats), so yeah, they can just sit there and wait.

Is that what fishing boats normally do 380 miles out ?? I doubt it. They have to move or they are obvious, yet they have to have the technical ability to intercept a cargo ship,

Also, due to the radar cross section, a pirate boat can see a container ship from probably double the distance the container ship can see them. In bad weather, they can even be completely radar invisible.

They avoid bad weather because the skiffs can't operate, this also was in the news.

 

[mheslep]

... Also, due to the radar cross section, a pirate boat can see a container ship from probably double the distance the container ship can see them. In bad weather, they can even be completely radar invisible.

I was wondering about who might actually have the advantage after looking at RCS, power, and antenna gain. Ocean Nav. helps out:
http://www.oceannavigator.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=C3BC7C40060E4FC7A1A9EF9639A772E9
(these guys taught me celestial nav. years ago)

Ratio of large commercial vessel /w professional radar to small craft w/small radar:
RCS: ~30,000:1 (150,000m^2:m^2)
Radar power: ~20:1 (50kw:2kw)
Antenna gain: guessing 10:1 ?

So the large vessel is still ~150x more visible to the small craft radar, in good weather. Bad weather, high seas and as you say the pirates can disappear.

 

[LowlyPion]

Alamo in the Indian Ocean?

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5391BQ20090410

Two boats full of heavily-armed fellow pirates have taken to sea in solidarity with the four on the lifeboat, but are too nervous to come near due to the presence of foreign naval ships including the USS Bainbridge destroyer which is up close.

I suspect the attitude of the US Navy is "Make my day."

 

[edward]

It looks like the pirates will be negotiating with the ship owners insurance company on the crews ransom money. They probably already have as far as the ship and it's contents.

A risk consultancy with close ties to the Lloyd’s insurance market is offering the world’s first insurance policy for shipowners covering potential ransom payouts on crew members who have been kidnapped.

Kidnap and ransom insurance is well-established but has traditionally been offered only in respect of individual executives working in commercially sensitive positions or to people whose fame or wealth may attract interest from criminals.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/insurance/article5289284.ece

http://www.else.co.uk/Documents/Piracy20081204.pdf

 

[russ_watters]

The hijacks in open sea seem like they'd be a little tougher to pull off. It's still a fairly heavily traveled route. If they can pick up the AIS data, then I guess they could get themselves into a decent position. It's not like the commercial ships have resorted to zig zag patterns to throw off observers.

AIS is highly limited in range - it isn't much better than radar.

 

[russ_watters]

It was well past the gulf and it was all over the news. You didn't even check before you jumped all over my post.

Was that arrogance or ignorance?

You asked general questions and put up some idle speculation and I answered and corrected - then you got mad. You displayed ignorance, then arrogance.

Is that what fishing boats normally do 380 miles out ?? I doubt it. They have to move or they are obvious, yet they have to have the technical ability to intercept a cargo ship,

No, it isn't normal, this was an unusual case (as shown by the typical attack data). You asked:

I doubt that they are just sitting out there 350 miles from shore in hopes that a ship may come by.

And I answered that no, they typically do not.

They avoid bad weather because the skiffs can't operate, this also was in the news.

They try to avoid really bad weather, yes. But they don't always succeed. Pirates occasionally drown with their loot: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/01/2009110135348285872.html

That was part of the point: there is a risk/reward calculus that goes into how to conduct the attacks. If the sea is clear as glass, they are easier to spot and easier to avoid. If they attack further out to sea, they might be more likely to avoid the Navy, but they are also more likely to get caught in a storm and sink.

 

[edward]

You asked general questions and put up some idle speculation and I answered and corrected - then you got mad. You displayed ignorance, then arrogance.

Right back at you again Russ. Show me where I got mad?

I razzed over a misspelled word and because you thought the ship was in the gulf of Aden even though the press had broadcast for two days that the ship was in the Indian Ocean.

Your erroneous presumption of the ships location is not my mistake as much as you want to try and make it look that way. Live with it.

 

[edward]

Kidnap insurance costs soar tenfold in Gulf of Aden on escalating piracy


CHICAGO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Shipowners navigating the Gulf of Aden are seeing insurance premiums for kidnap and ransom increase tenfold as piracy escalates, said Chicago-based global insurance broker Aon Risk Services on Thursday, one day after Somali pirates hijacked a U.S. cargo ship.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/10/content_11163070.htm


AIG has a maritime insurance division. I would hope we haven't already payed a "pirates ransom" in bailing them out.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I was not on a submarine, I was a navigator on a frigate.

Perry class? I was on a Brooke. A real piece of...ship.

To be honest, I am not clear what the pirates who are holding Richard Phillips hostage are thinking. If they shoot him, they lose any leverage that they have, and a lifeboat is no match for a 5"/54. They aren't going to run away, and unless the pirates happen to have their own navy, they aren't going to shoot their way out.

 

[LowlyPion]

There is a report that another hijacked boat is heading toward the scene with 15 German hostages and they are possibly looking to link up with the boat carrying the hostage captain.

These Somali pirates are a real piece of work.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/11/ship-captain-tried-escape-pirates-adding-reinforce/

Meanwhile the originally hijacked boat has been released and proceeded on to port.

 

[Proton Soup]

There is a report that another hijacked boat is heading toward the scene with 15 German hostages and they are possibly looking to link up with the boat carrying the hostage captain.

These Somali pirates are a real piece of work.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/11/ship-captain-tried-escape-pirates-adding-reinforce/

Meanwhile the originally hijacked boat has been released and proceeded on to port.

it's a shame they didn't tear through the pirate boat with a 1000 or so .50 rounds when he jumped ship.

 

[Vanadium 50]

it's a shame they didn't tear through the pirate boat with a 1000 or so .50 rounds when he jumped ship.

5"/54. Accept no substitute.

 

[LowlyPion]

it's a shame they didn't tear through the pirate boat with a 1000 or so .50 rounds when he jumped ship.

I suspect it surprised the US ships, as much as the Somali pirates. But you'd think that they might have been prepared for such a possibility or even have tried to signal the captain with blinking lights or something giving hm the option to try, but I guess that makes for a better script than a reality.