How Long Before Reacting To Pirates?

[Annie]

Long, we mean really long

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/w....html?_r=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

November 29, 2008
Legal Hurdles in West Slow Pursuit of Pirates

By NICHOLAS KULISH
BERLIN — Somali pirates firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades hijacked yet another ship in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, this time seizing a chemical tanker. A German military helicopter from a nearby warship arrived in time to pull three security guards out of the water, but not soon enough to prevent the hijacking of the ship and the rest of the crew.

The latest attack, in which even trained security personnel aboard could not deter the pirates, demonstrated the urgent need for coordinated action by governments from Cairo to Berlin. But the bureaucratic and legal hurdles facing international institutions and national governments have so far defeated most efforts to deal with the nimble crews of pirates in speedboats, whose tactics have grown bolder as their profits have paid for better weapons and equipment.

While the pirates have been buying GPS devices, satellite phones and more-powerful outboard motors, officials in Europe have been discussing jurisdictional issues surrounding the arrest of pirates on the high seas and even the possibility that the pirates might demand asylum if brought onto European Union shores.

Germany, perhaps more than any other country, epitomizes both the importance of safe passage for ships and the difficulty of reacting swiftly. It is the world’s leading exporter of goods, and according to the German Shipowners’ Association it has the world’s largest container-ship fleet, with some 36 percent of total container capacity...

 

[xsited1]

The European countries and the UN have vowed to take immediate action. They should have the situation under control by 2013.

 

[dilloduck]

But the bureaucratic and legal hurdles facing international institutions and national governments have so far defeated most efforts to deal with the nimble crews of pirates in speedboats

nuff said.

 

[Old Rocks]

Arrest? You deal with fellows like this with Predetors and A-10s.

 

[Anguille]

nuff said.

Hey!

Pirates happen.

So deal.

 

[dilloduck]

Hey!

Pirates happen.

Deal.

I'm cool. My lawyer is on top of it and has plans that will stop piracy forever and we can all live happily ever after. Damn life's grand !

They really shouldn't sending ships out there anyway----they know full well what happens out there.

Ain't my ships.

 

[Anguille]

But!!!!! they are WALMART'S SHIPS!!!!!!!!

 

[dilloduck]

But!!!!! they are WALMART'S SHIPS!!!!!!!!

ya----keep trying to pin that one on me

 

[Lycurgus]

As a world citizen I am going to sue the UN the body of nations for not protecting my interests and forcing me to pay more for the goods I purchase, due to these actions. And then I will seek a judgement against Somalia in the event that they ever get a government again, I can collect. Of course I will also file against each ship owner and each company with goods aboard the ship, for not protecting my investment as a consumer.

 

[DiveCon]

Arrest? You deal with fellows like this with Predetors and A-10s.

no no no, we need to talk to them
head to head high level talks
we need to understand why they do this

 

[dilloduck]

no no no, we need to talk to them
head to head high level talks
we need to understand why they do this

seriously--I'd like to understand their love for parrots. Maybe we can meet them on a neutral yacht somewhere and learn the culture.

 

[del]

seriously--I'd like to understand their love for parrots. Maybe we can meet them on a neutral yacht somewhere and learn the culture.

you got a problem with parrots, pal?

Paulie, help the man see the light..........don't leave no marks, though

 

[Lycurgus]

no no no, we need to talk to them
head to head high level talks
we need to understand why they do this

That's right, we have CHANGE now!

These little things are tough to remember!

 

[editec]

YAR, maties!

Why hasn't something ALREADY been done?

I find it more than incredible that any international law is preventing any nation from protecting itself from Somali pirates, folks.

If say for example her majesty's Navy send a fleet to shell the Somali ports and sent in Royal Marines to wipe out those pests, who is going to object?

The Government of Somalia?

Okay, broadside their HQ, first.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

No one wants to be the one to do it. There are already naval vessels there and none of them do anything except AFTER the fact. What was it? An Indian ship that finally engaged a Pirate mother ship? I bet they got told to knock it off too.

 

[geonerd20]

Countries who are being affected by the pirates will take action. The hijacking of the Saudi oil tanker while spectacular, does not put a dent in world oil production. Reports stated that the pirates wanted a ransom of $25. If the Saudis pay up the ransom, they could recover the $25 by increasing the price of crude by about $0.50 per barrel for the next 2 months. It is almost cheaper to pay the pirates "protection money" than undertake a military operation in the area.

 

[dilloduck]

YAR, maties!

Why hasn't something ALREADY been done?

I find it more than incredible that any international law is preventing any nation from protecting itself from Somali pirates, folks.

If say for example her majesty's Navy send a fleet to shell the Somali ports and sent in Royal Marines to wipe out those pests, who is going to object?

The Government of Somalia?

Okay, broadside their HQ, first.

You can't do that. Collateral damage and dead civilians. Who is going to object? Millions of people.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

You can't do that. Collateral damage and dead civilians. Who is going to object? Millions of people.

Ohh you can do it just fine, we are just not willing to do it. Personally I do not give one good god damn about Somali pirates or the supposed "innocents" that would die solving the problem.

Time to send in some Q ships.

 

[dilloduck]

Ohh you can do it just fine, we are just not willing to do it. Personally I do not give one good god damn about Somali pirates or the supposed "innocents" that would die solving the problem.

Time to send in some Q ships.

The Unites States can't wipe it's ass without someone bitching. Let another country step up and handle it.

 

[Caligirl]

no no no, we need to talk to them
head to head high level talks
we need to understand why they do this

I humbly suggest that they "do this" because they are hungry and do not feel they have adequate representation within their countries. They do this to be heard.

It probably isn't our place to instill a more representative govt in Somalia, we are free to make the choice to sit on the sidelines and let them work it out on their own. We could have done the same with any number of other crises. We could believe that war is the last option.

We could capture the criminals and try them, in some international court. You know, a targeted retribution to the actual criminals. As I understand it they are on a boat in the ocean, so it shouldn't be too hard to avoid collateral damage.

Or we could just bomb the shit out of them and their country and tell them to shape up. I wonder if that would work. You know, make them cower. Because they probably don't have pride like us americans.

Even better, bomb the shit out of a country that has nothing to do with it. That oughtta work.