Indian warship destroys suspected pirate ship off Somalia

[Sachinism]

Reporting from Beirut - An Indian warship patrolling the treacherous waters off the Horn of Africa destroyed a suspected pirate ship late Tuesday, at least the second time in a week that India's armed forces have unleashed military force to combat piracy amid a surge in maritime lawlessness. According to a news release issued today by the Indian Defense Ministry, the Tabar opened fire on a pirate ship after it came under attack Tuesday evening, leaving the burning vessel to sink. There was no mention of rescuing or capturing its crew. Along with the U.S., Russia and European nations, India is among the naval forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping lane between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Concern over piracy surged after audacious bandits Saturday hijacked a gigantic 1,000-foot tanker loaded with at least $100 million worth of crude oil and moored it near a pirate's haven off the coast of Somalia. The pirates aboard the tanker, the Sirius Star, today demanded money in exchange for the $120-million ship, its crew and cargo. "Negotiators are aboard the ship and on land," a suspected pirate calling himself Farah Abed Jameh, described as one of the bandits who hijacked the Saudi tanker, said in an audiotape aired by the Arab-language Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite news channel. "Once they agree on the ransom, it will be taken in cash to the oil tanker," he said, without specifying an amount On Tuesday, pirates off Somalia's coast seized an Iranian-owned and Hong Kong-flagged freighter carrying 35 metric tons of wheat and a crew of 25, a Greek freight ship with a crew of 23 and a Thai fishing boat and its crew of 16. The ships, crew and cargo are typically anchored off the Somali coast and ransomed for huge sums of cash. The scourge has become a major headache for shippers facing increased insurance and security costs. Already a major Norwegian shipping firm announced that it would no longer sail through the Gulf of Aden, directing its freighters and tankers to take a circuitous route around Africa to avoid the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the oil-rich Arabian peninsula. The move would incur "significant" extra costs, which would be passed on to customers and consumers. "We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," Terje Storeng, the president and CEO of Bergen, Norway-based Odfjell said in a news release. "Odfjell is frustrated by the fact that governments and authorities in general seem to take a limited interest in this very serious problem." The U.S. military said it could take only limited steps to intervene and thwart pirates. Maritime experts say international law on jurisdiction regarding pirates is murky, with naval forces clearly permitted to attack pirates only when a commercial ship is under assault. But New Delhi has apparently taken a different approach. Last week, Indian marine commandos on a helicopter swooped in on the scene of a hijacking to fend off pirates assailing an Indian commercial ship. Two suspected pirates were killed in a shootout with British commandos defending a Danish vessel this month. In the latest incident, New Delhi said the Tabar tried to stop a suspected pirate vessel about 300 miles southwest of the Omani city of Salalah on Tuesday evening. Instead of allowing the sailors to inspect the ship, the alleged pirates threatened to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her," the statement said. "Pirates could be seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket-propelled-grenade launchers," the statement said. The pirates opened fire, the news release said, and the Tabar, a 400-foot warship, fired back. Fire and explosions erupted on board the suspected pirate ship, possibly the result of ammunition going off, the military said. As the boat sank, some of the pirates escaped on high-speed rafts, the news release said. More than 90 ships have been hijacked by pirates this year off the Horn of Africa. Since it arrived in the Gulf of Aden this month, the Tabar has escorted about 35 ships through the "pirate-infested" waterway, the Indian government said. The piracy epidemic has captured the imagination of a public enamored with the romantic image of swashbuckling seamen of yore, engaged in swordplay and barking out orders to fellow buccaneers. But experts say today's pirates are tough young criminals armed with AK-47s and dressed in camouflage. Storeng, the chief of the Norwegian shipping company, described modern piracy as "ruthless, high-level organized crime." source: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-piracy20-2008nov20,0,6791742.story

[PaiN_KiLLeR]

An article about the Somali pirates I read today ... some of it is quite hilarious - Mogadishu: “No information today. No comment,” a Somali pirate shouts into his satellite telephone, before abruptly ending the call. He is on board the hijacked Ukrainian vessel, MV Faina, a ship laden with the unusual booty of Russian battle tanks that was captured a month ago. Since January this year, Somali pirates have attacked about 90 vessels, and of these, hijacked 38. These modern-day pirates are often armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, travel in speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS. But who are these pirates? People in Garowe, the regional capital of Puntland, describe a certain high-rolling pirate swagger. Flush with cash, the pirates drive the biggest cars, run many of the businesses and throw the best parties. Fatuma Abdul Kadir said she went to a pirate wedding in July that lasted two days, with non-stop dancing and goat meat. “It was wonderful,” said Fatuma, 21. “I’m now dating a pirate.” :hysterical: “They have money; they have power and they are getting stronger by the day,” Abdi Farah Juha told the BBC. “They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses.” Most of the pirates are aged between 20 and 35 years and are in it for the money. Piracy is the only profitable line of work in a nation where almost half the population need food aid after 17 years of non-stop conflict. “All you need is three guys and a little boat, and the next day you’re millionaires,” said Abdullahi Omar Qawden, a former captain in Somalia’s longdefunct navy. This year, pirate profits are on track to reach a record $50 million, all tax-free. This is a major reason why hostages of Somali pirates are well looked after. It also explains the tight operation the pirates run—they are never seen fighting each other. According to a BBC analyst, pirate gangs are usually made up of three different types: n Former fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because they know the sea. n Former militiamen, who are considered the muscle—having fought for various Somali clan warlords. n 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. The three groups share the ever-increasing illicit profits—ransoms paid in cash by the shipping companies. Not everyone in Puntland is smitten by Somalia’s new elite. “This piracy has a negative impact on several aspects of our life in Garowe,” resident Mohamed Hassan laments. “They promote the use of drugs and alcohol.” AGENCIES

[beetle]

:two_thumbs_up:INS TABAR

[CC1981]

Good to hear. Its about time our Navy started flexing its muscles to demonstrate its power for the security of oceanic travel in and around India. Given our geographical location, we should be able to control the waters and make sure safety is the top priority all the way from the gulf of Aden to Malacca.

[Guest HariSampath]

arre....some of the biggest pirates are in India operating a multi billion dollar business (walks off to check my version of vista) :D

[THX_1138]

Is this not reminiscent of the Chola kings of medieval india who sent war ships into the malacca straits to curb the pirates that looted ships bound for the east?

[fineleg]

Is this not reminiscent of the Chola kings of medieval india who sent war ships into the malacca straits to curb the pirates that looted ships bound for the east?

yes indeed

[CC1981]

Is this not reminiscent of the Chola kings of medieval india who sent war ships into the malacca straits to curb the pirates that looted ships bound for the east?

Me thinks you are doing the CHolas a great disservice. They didnt just police the bay of Bengal and Malaccas...they had conquered what is today Sumatra, Java & Malaya peninsula.