BBC NEWS | Africa | Seized tanker anchors off Somalia

The funniest part about all this is that there's really nothing that can be done about it. These guys went out and stole an oil tanker and what is being done? They're waiting for a ransom demand.

Now, I'm not going to sit here acting like I know better than the powers that be. Because, really, I have no clue what could be done here, either. They have hostages, so a rescue operation will certainly put them at risk. If they surround the boat and 'wait them out', they run the same risk. Somalia doesn't have much of a government, so they're not going to do anything about it.

Plus, who's responsibility is it to act on this (if anyone comes up with any sort of action in the first place)? It's a Saudi ship, with Saudi oil, headed to customers in the US, with an international crew, now in Somali territory, held by Somali pirates.

Obviously, if Somalia had the ability to do so, the international community would be calling on them to do something. But Somalia is pretty much African Lord of the Flies, so there's nothing they can do.

So, what do you guys think? Should an international coalition go in an attempt to rescue the hostages and tanker? Should a ransom simply be paid? How can such a thing be prevented in the future? What are the pros and cons of simply switching shipping routes (besides it being a bigger pain in the ass to get shipments around the world)?

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“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” - Carl Sagan

The vessel is registered in Panama, and operates under that country's flag. I think that the Panamanian government should send its navy to the rescue.

This would work for me:

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Well, that just confuses things more. It's a Saudi owned ship, registered in Panama, run by a Dubai based company, comprised of an international crew, delivering products to customers in the US, hijacked by Somalis and being kept in Somali territory.

Maybe no one is doing anything about it because no one knows who the hell should do something about it?

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“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” - Carl Sagan

We have the use of Somalian airspace and Somalian waters which they have granted to us; we have launched strikes targetting terrorists there in the last few years with the blessing of the Somali government, not always with their prior knowledge either. We could go in and do something if that was what was the best course of action i guess, it may not need to come down to that.

Yeah they are pretty much useless, plus tense relations with Etheopia don't help either.

Technically an international coallition would need some form of formal declaration peace time to do such a thing under peacetime maritime law; however under those laws the FBI has jrisdiction over all international waters. We haven't technically declared war so that stands.

However the problem comes in the fact they are in Somali waters and even though we have the permission to use their land air and high seas we could only do it through a dispatched Naval vessel approved in accordance, again, with the maratime stipulations. Navy intel could also be sent (not that they do much these days).

A much more ammicable solution is likely to occur though, these things are usually worked out more peacefully off the coast of Africa without too much bloodloss.

I'd raise them on the bridge-to-bridge with a one word message: "Catch"...

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If it wasn't for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all...

And now consider the amount of oil that will spill into the sea, professor. Not to mention the certain death of the hostages.

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Its the waters where the jurisdiction lays which is the problem in most cases but thankfully not for us, just for most other countries.

In this case thankfully its Dubai who would have jurisdictive authority to the property itself, the oil tanker because the company as i understand it is under the juridiction of the municipalities of the port authority of the respective emirate, in this case Dubai.

Its pirates and not held seige by a nation so it wouldn't result in a declaration of war or a violation of the maritime peace treaties which is a relief; otherwise things could get very messy and totally screw up all the other arrangements we currently have.

Yea, but from what I've heard, the US Navy isn't going to do dick about it, nor is the UN...or anyone else. Vela International, the owners of the tanker (I think, this is confusing, haha) seem to be sitting around waiting for some sort of ransom demand.

I read that incidence of pirate attacks has risen 31% since just last year. A big problem seems to be that the normal way of solving these things is simply paying off the ransom to the pirates, because as you said, things are usually worked out in as much of a peaceful manner as possible. Peaceful manner usually means "no consequences for the pirates". Should that change?

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“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” - Carl Sagan

Well, the crew of the ship are British, Croatian, Filipino and maybe a few others. Wouldn't the countries these people are citizens of have some sort of ability to take action, in order to protect their citizens?

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“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” - Carl Sagan

I was just laughing at the thought of Panama dispatching two guys in a dugout canoe across the Atlantic.

Armed with blowguns, perhaps?

As i understand it, if they are civillian forces then no. They only have rights to international assistance of any jurisdictively relevant body if they are party or signatory to the maritime treaties laws and acts and those specifically state that if they are non protected personnel (under the UCOMJ, foreign agents, civillian forces of a government and or diplomats protected by their DI) then they cannot be freed from such situations.

However if it could be proven that the Somalian government was capable of freeing them and wasn't and or negligent or giving them save haven in those waters or their land air or high seas then any of those nations could come in and free the hostages under the safe havens treaties passed in the UN after 9/11 or if any nation may seek the capture of those who have seized the vessel (in this case the pirates), then they shall be allowed to again, use the seize and capture clause to either seize or kill them. If that is, they are signatory to the safe Havens treaties themselves.

Hope that helps explain it a little!

Thanks, Traveler!

Basically sounds like one big cluster fuck to me. Seems like Somali pirates made a wise career choice...

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“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” - Carl Sagan

Hmm when it comes to policy of how to deal with them....

Well they certainly shouldn't be allowed to get away with what they do but on the other hand if one of those gangs of pirates was protected by a government or country an attack against them could set off such a collamity of events we would literally see war errupt accross more than one ocean.

And yeah the attacks by pirates have increased lately and it irks me that they can lurk off the coasts of other nations' waters (before they make a move) without any ramification.

Because we're still in peacetime its difficult for the US Navy to increase its activities in international waters without opposition but if they were to do so maybe they could catch blackbeard and hook before they got a hold of a vessel?

Also there are the folks on the tanker and other captured vessels to think of too. What do you think? You'll be far more likely to come up with a more sensible solution that i would...

Somalia is a libertarian paradise where the business venture of pirating is alive and well. And who's to say these pirates aren't actually heroes? They're doing their part to ward off global warming.

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