Pirates Reportedly Release Saudi Tanker

Somali Hijackers Reportedly Receive $3 Million For Seized Oil-Laden Supertanker

(AP)  After reportedly receiving a $3 million ransom dropped by parachute, pirates said they released a captured Saudi supertanker Friday, ending a two-month drama that helped galvanize international efforts to fight piracy off Africa's coast.

U.S. Navy photos showed a parachute, carrying what they described as "an apparent payment," floating toward the tanker, which had been held with its 25-member since Nov. 15.

Mohamed Said, a negotiator with the pirates, told The Associated Press by telephone the ship was released and traveling to "safe waters" after the payment of $3 million, far less than the $25 million initially sought.

The owner of the Liberian-flagged tanker, Vela International Marine Ltd., declined to comment on the claim. Combined Military Forces patrolling the waters issued a statement saying, "It appears Somali pirates have received payment for the very large crude tanker Sirius Star."

The seizure of the Sirius Star, which is the size of an aircraft carrier and filled with two million barrels of oil valued about $100 million, capped a string of increasingly audacious attacks by Somalian pirates. Not only was it the largest ship to have been hijacked, it was taken in the Indian Ocean more than 500 miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, demonstrating growing capability on the part of the pirates.

Until then, most hijackings had occurred closer to the Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden, one of the busiest shipping channels in the world, leading to and from the Suez Canal.

International efforts to combat piracy have increased since the tanker's capture and its release comes one day after the Navy announced that a new international force under American command will soon begin patrols to confront Somali pirates.

Over a hundred ships were attacked last year. More than a dozen with about 300 crew members are still being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, including the weapons-laden Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was seized in September.

"While the potential release of the Sirius Star is undoubtedly excellent news, we must not forget that nearly three hundred other merchant mariners are still being held captive. The men who attacked the ship and held the crew hostage are armed criminals and consequently, we must remain steadfast in our efforts to address the international problem of piracy," said Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy commander of the new force.

Between 12-14 international warships currently patrol the waters off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean at all times seeking to prevent pirate attacks on cargo vessels, according to Cmdr. Jane Campbell, spokeswoman for the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain.

The area they cover is nearly four times the size of Texas and despite the heavy naval presence - backed by the ships' own reconnaisence helicopters and long-range maritime patrol aircraft - four cargo vessels have been snatched in the past month alone.

"The biggest part is coordination, because it's such a vast area to cover," Campbell said."

The newest mission - expected to begin operations next week - appears more of an attempt to sharpen the military focus against piracy rather than expand offensives across one of the world's most crucial shipping lanes.

The force will carry no wider authority to strike at pirate vessels at sea or specific mandates to move against havens on shore -- which some maritime experts believe is necessary to weaken the pirate gangs.

The pirates are trained fighters, often dressed in military fatigues, using speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and various types of grenades. Far out to sea, their speedboats operate from larger mother ships.

Most hijackings end with million-dollar pay-outs. Piracy is considered the biggest moneymaker in Somalia, a country that has had no stable government for decades. A recent report by the London-based think-tank Chatham House said pirates raked in more than $30 million in ransoms last year.

The U.S. Navy and other nations have international authority to battle pirates in the open seas and come to the aid of vessels under attack. But forces have been stymied on how to respond to ships under pirate control, fearing an all-out assault could endanger the crew members held hostage.

Other ships being held include the Ukrainian cargo ship, which is carrying 33 battle tanks.

Relatives of the crew say that neither government authorities nor the owner of the MV Faina are giving them any information about negotiations with the captors or their loved ones' health. On Friday, they appealed to international humanitarian groups for help.

Pirates and Ukrainian authorities both said in December that a deal had been reached and that the seamen would be released soon. But there has been no sign of progress since then. The pirates had originally demanded $20 million when they hijacked the Faina.

[newsjunky5]

I don''t know about the currents there, but I imagine most Somalis, pirates included want that thing out of there. Can you imagine what it would do to fishing, and the coast of Somalia if it hit the fan and this thing got blown up there?

[susanhelit]

Every time ransom is paid, it makes the pirates stronger. We need to find a way to stop this.

But - one thing - the way this started is probably also the way to stop it. When the gov''t of Somali collapsed, ships from western nations started showing up and dumping nuclear waste, biohazards, ect. And fishing boats from other nations started using their fishing waters, so the Somalis on the coast were simultaneously poisoned and starved as their country collapsed. The pirates started as some fishermen exacting a ''tax'' on those fishing boats invading their land.

To fix this - we have to not only fix it - but fix the original causes. Investigate the dumping and punish those responsible, have some method of preventing invading fishing fleets from overfishing the area. Piracy is wrong, and we have to treat it that way - but to ignore the causes just means it will continue - people who are starving won''t care much about what we''ll do if we catch them.

[clathrate]

While the world postures, makes scathing speeches and sits on its hands, these subhumans not only get stronger, they funnel millions of dollars into Al quaeda.


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Posted by Gatofeo

That''s exactly right. All of the liberal "save the world" clowns want to befriend these poor, poor baby pirates and send them a Sally Struthers cry-o-gram. Oh, the humanity! How dare the civilized world expect people to earn their living in an honest manner! Pirate are our friends, and surely Al Qaeda won''t use the money to conduct ever more terrorist acts.

The biggest threat to peace and justice are the terrorist apologists amoungst us.

[babooph]

Too bad the US is tied up losing 2 wars of its own & aiding Israel in one-maybe the pirate thing could have been dealt with fast.

[questionnews]

Folks seem to want to express sympathy for these "pirates" because they envision the pirate life revolves around being swashbuckling gentlemen who sail the seas in search of adventure & booty.
Damm you Errol Flynn & Johnny Depp.

[bobnjersey]

[The US military and it''''s regional allies should expressly forbid paying of any ransoms.
Each time a ransom is paid it just increases the number of ships that are taken.
Disgusting.]
[Posted by AlanW1077 at 12:10 PM : Jan 09, 2009]

so this would be your policy if the $100 million dollar tanker with another $100 million in oil was in someone else''s hands ... no negotiating?

i''m guessing you''d soften your stance a bit if the loss came out of your pocket. a $1 million (or $3M) dollar payout is nothing compared to the value of the asset.

[newsjunky5]

The US military... should expressly forbid paying of any ransoms.
Each time a ransom is paid it just increases the number of ships that are taken.
------------------

In solving this, two things are being ignored here:
1) The pirates haven''t been killing hostages, if we start killing pirates, we can expect them to. It''s a sort of "Mexican standoff." At any one time they are holding more than one ship, and they can communicate with each other. Jam the signal, and they don''t check-in with the next password on their list.

2) Blackwater is trying to get contracts to protect these ships. If the shipping companies get charged enough ransom, it will be worth it. Now do you understand why the Bush admin. is dragging it''s feet in using our military?

[gatofeo]

Each hijacking nets the Somali pirates even more money. Eventually, they''ll want to purchase nuclear weapons so they can blackmail on a larger scale.
Their ships are resupplied and repaired somewhere. My guess would be the port of Mogadishu. So why isn''t the UN bombing or mining their ports?
Who at the UN is getting kickbacks from the ransoms paid?
Two hundred years ago the world made a greater effort to quell piracy than it does today. And this was long before radio, spy satellites, GPS, aircraft, turbine engines and breech-loading guns!
While the world postures, makes scathing speeches and sits on its hands, these subhumans not only get stronger, they funnel millions of dollars into Al quaeda.

[alanw1077]

A total disgrace.
Each time these pirates are given even a dime, it is shameful.
The US military and it''s regional allies should expressly forbid paying of any ransoms.
Each time a ransom is paid it just increases the number of ships that are taken.
Disgusting.

[georgew1956]

now if you was too fallow the pirates back you might
learn something . ahh

[newsjunky5]

If I were a warlord I''''d have them play it up wearing full garb, eye patches, hooks, etc!
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Over, of course, your kevlar BVDs.

[newsjunky5]

" the ship has been released and was traveling to "safe waters." "
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That means there is still time for them to be "double billed"

[powmadeak47]

oh goody. more saudi oil for the world''s gas-guzzling idiots. all problems are now solved