Chinese rescue mission

[Guest Pommey]

China just paid $4m to get its ship back

[steveandrong]

ya know, this is one of them issues in this day and age that i just don't understand...why don't these shipping consortiums arm these ships with some real fire power and just blow these pirates to kingdom come when they get near to these ships?...it just don't make sense that the great powers of the world cant put a stop to these rag tag bands of pirates....we all pay this ransom money through higher prices for whatever commodities, so why pay it to the pitates?....i would rather see the shipping consortiums use the money to arm these ships well and then play hardball with these goons.

[Guest Pommey]

ya know, this is one of them issues in this day and age that i just don't understand...why don't these shipping consortiums arm these ships with some real fire power and just blow these pirates to kingdom come when they get near to these ships?...it just don't make sense that the great powers of the world cant put a stop to these rag tag bands of pirates....we all pay this ransom money through higher prices for whatever commodities, so why pay it to the pitates?....i would rather see the shipping consortiums use the money to arm these ships well and then play hardball with these goons.

 

sounds like a good business to me, a rubber boat,RPG,AK47 and a 4 million return.

[steveandrong]

ya know, this is one of them issues in this day and age that i just don't understand...why don't these shipping consortiums arm these ships with some real fire power and just blow these pirates to kingdom come when they get near to these ships?...it just don't make sense that the great powers of the world cant put a stop to these rag tag bands of pirates....we all pay this ransom money through higher prices for whatever commodities, so why pay it to the pitates?....i would rather see the shipping consortiums use the money to arm these ships well and then play hardball with these goons.

 

sounds like a good business to me, a rubber boat,RPG,AK47 and a 4 million return.

yeah...provided you don't get blown outta the water and sent to the bottom of the sea as fish bait

[GDBILL]

ya know, this is one of them issues in this day and age that i just don't understand...why don't these shipping consortiums arm these ships with some real fire power and just blow these pirates to kingdom come when they get near to these ships?...it just don't make sense that the great powers of the world cant put a stop to these rag tag bands of pirates....we all pay this ransom money through higher prices for whatever commodities, so why pay it to the pitates?....i would rather see the shipping consortiums use the money to arm these ships well and then play hardball with these goons.

 

sounds like a good business to me, a rubber boat,RPG,AK47 and a 4 million return.

yeah...provided you don't get blown outta the water and sent to the bottom of the sea as fish bait

 

Which obviously didn't happen in this case ... or in the vast majority of other cases.

[Randy W]

ya know, this is one of them issues in this day and age that i just don't understand...why don't these shipping consortiums arm these ships with some real fire power and just blow these pirates to kingdom come when they get near to these ships?...it just don't make sense that the great powers of the world cant put a stop to these rag tag bands of pirates....we all pay this ransom money through higher prices for whatever commodities, so why pay it to the pitates?....i would rather see the shipping consortiums use the money to arm these ships well and then play hardball with these goons.

 

sounds like a good business to me, a rubber boat,RPG,AK47 and a 4 million return.

 

 

It's apparently cheaper for the companies to just pay the ransom., I think the insurance costs go way up if the ships are armed.

[chengdu4me]

Some of these ships are carrying flammable goods. A firefight on the deck would not turn out well. A blown up supertanker would make a big mess, not to mention the insurance liabilities.

 

However, the US Navy is about to have super high speed boats. This will change the dynamics of power in this area. Currently, we have elephants trying to swat flies. The flies are just a bit faster. Smaller, highly weaponized speed boats will cure this problem.

 

 

http://www.lmlcsteam.com/media.html

Edited December 29, 2009 by chengdu4me (see edit history)

[mmpv]

ya know, this is one of them issues in this day and age that i just don't understand...why don't these shipping consortiums arm these ships with some real fire power and just blow these pirates to kingdom come when they get near to these ships?...it just don't make sense that the great powers of the world cant put a stop to these rag tag bands of pirates....we all pay this ransom money through higher prices for whatever commodities, so why pay it to the pitates?....i would rather see the shipping consortiums use the money to arm these ships well and then play hardball with these goons.

 

Some ships do hire armed guards as part of the crew. However, "armed" is a relative term. When the other side is sporting RPGs, machine guns, etc. and your security only has a handgun or rifle, the odds don't change much.

 

I also heard that there are different regulations regarding arms that you can carry because every port (i.e. country) has it's own rules, regulations, permits, etc. Some countries don't allow weapons, period. Things can get mighty tricky real fast.

[steveandrong]

ya know, this is one of them issues in this day and age that i just don't understand...why don't these shipping consortiums arm these ships with some real fire power and just blow these pirates to kingdom come when they get near to these ships?...it just don't make sense that the great powers of the world cant put a stop to these rag tag bands of pirates....we all pay this ransom money through higher prices for whatever commodities, so why pay it to the pitates?....i would rather see the shipping consortiums use the money to arm these ships well and then play hardball with these goons.

 

Some ships do hire armed guards as part of the crew. However, "armed" is a relative term. When the other side is sporting RPGs, machine guns, etc. and your security only has a handgun or rifle, the odds don't change much.

 

I also heard that there are different regulations regarding arms that you can carry because every port (i.e. country) has it's own rules, regulations, permits, etc. Some countries don't allow weapons, period. Things can get mighty tricky real fast.

A few tow missiles and and a few mounted 50 cal. machine guns on each ship that must travel through the pirate infested waters should be mandatory....gotta let em know we ain't taking this crap any more and put em outta business.....if we don't react seriously, we'll never be taken seriously

 

What would be wrong with having a squad of trained army or marine personel on board these ships to take the action when neccesary?...sure beats the alternative of doing nothing and paying these crooks millions of dollars and letting them perpetuate their business!

 

and then...and then...if we can actually capture some of these goons, we can send then to prison for and eternity and a half and let them eat and drink nothing except Jins brussel sprout soup and her wonderful coffee packets That'll teach em a lesson or two!!!!

Edited December 30, 2009 by steveandrong (see edit history)

[Guest Pommey]

..and then...if we can actually capture some of these goons, we can send then to prison for and eternity and a half and let them eat and drink nothing except Jins brussel sprout soup and her wonderful coffee packets That'll teach em a lesson or two!!!!

 

 

 

[mmpv]

 

A few tow missiles and and a few mounted 50 cal. machine guns on each ship that must travel through the pirate infested waters should be mandatory....gotta let em know we ain't taking this crap any more and put em outta business.....if we don't react seriously, we'll never be taken seriously

 

Don't forget that these are civilian vessels. Good luck getting the military hardware. And even if you do, you are now banned from docking at port because of your toys.

 

What would be wrong with having a squad of trained army or marine personel on board these ships to take the action when neccesary?...sure beats the alternative of doing nothing and paying these crooks millions of dollars and letting them perpetuate their business!

 

Who is going to pay for them? Do you know how much traffic passes through that area?

 

and then...and then...if we can actually capture some of these goons, we can send then to prison for and eternity and a half and let them eat and drink nothing except Jins brussel sprout soup and her wonderful coffee packets That'll teach em a lesson or two!!!!

 

Actually, you brought up a good point. Even if they were caught, I believe up until late last year, all the captors could do to the pirates were to catch them and repatriate them to their homeland. A UN resolution authorized the use of force and encouraged extradition to respective states for criminal prosecution.

 

The multi-national navies that patrol the area has made life very difficult for Somali pirates this year. The pirates responded by expanding their home turf from the coast of Somalia all the way to the Indian ocean.

 

Again, this tit for tat response does not go after the true cause of this pirate activity, namely the failed state of Somalia. No one is stepping up to address this fundamental issue.

[steveandrong]

 

A few tow missiles and and a few mounted 50 cal. machine guns on each ship that must travel through the pirate infested waters should be mandatory....gotta let em know we ain't taking this crap any more and put em outta business.....if we don't react seriously, we'll never be taken seriously

 

Don't forget that these are civilian vessels. Good luck getting the military hardware. And even if you do, you are now banned from docking at port because of your toys.

 

What would be wrong with having a squad of trained army or marine personel on board these ships to take the action when neccesary?...sure beats the alternative of doing nothing and paying these crooks millions of dollars and letting them perpetuate their business!

 

Who is going to pay for them? Do you know how much traffic passes through that area?

 

and then...and then...if we can actually capture some of these goons, we can send then to prison for and eternity and a half and let them eat and drink nothing except Jins brussel sprout soup and her wonderful coffee packets That'll teach em a lesson or two!!!!

 

Actually, you brought up a good point. Even if they were caught, I believe up until late last year, all the captors could do to the pirates were to catch them and repatriate them to their homeland. A UN resolution authorized the use of force and encouraged extradition to respective states for criminal prosecution.

 

The multi-national navies that patrol the area has made life very difficult for Somali pirates this year. The pirates responded by expanding their home turf from the coast of Somalia all the way to the Indian ocean.

 

Again, this tit for tat response does not go after the true cause of this pirate activity, namely the failed state of Somalia. No one is stepping up to address this fundamental issue.

#1, laws or resolutions can always be made to accommodate weaponry aboard civilian ships..as long as it is being handled militarily, i don't see how it could not

 

#2, everyone would pay for it through higher shipping costs....same as anything gets paid for, it is always passed on to the consumer with only few exceptions.

 

#3, Piracy is the pirates business, and when business becomes unprofitable and the risks outweigh the rewards, then business shuts down and if Somalia wants to raise a stink about it then let them take it to the UN and whine about it all they want....i think they'd be hard pressed to find a sympathetic ear

[mmpv]

 

#1, laws or resolutions can always be made to accommodate weaponry aboard civilian ships..as long as it is being handled militarily, i don't see how it could not

 

#2, everyone would pay for it through higher shipping costs....same as anything gets paid for, it is always passed on to the consumer with only few exceptions.

 

#3, Piracy is the pirates business, and when business becomes unprofitable and the risks outweigh the rewards, then business shuts down and if Somalia wants to raise a stink about it then let them take it to the UN and whine about it all they want....i think they'd be hard pressed to find a sympathetic ear

 

#1. Good luck getting everyone to agree. See WTO Doha round and Copenhagen climate summit for some examples.

 

#2. They can in theory but won't in practice. Same reason they do not put federal air marshalls on all flights.

 

#3. Irrelevant, as there is effectively no functional gov. in Somalia currently.

[steveandrong]

USA Today reports 2 more ships seized by pirates yesterday.....ah well, just business as usual....carry on boys....gee, maybe Robs right.....small investmenty of a rubber raft, some RPG's and a few AK-47's.....odds are certainly a lot better that playing the lotto!

[Smitty]

I say just start running some Q ships though there. Maybe even one with commandos hiding in a container.