Showing posts with label commentary -- piracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commentary -- piracy. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Business Case For High-Seas Piracy -- A Commentary
From Reuters:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As far as illicit businesses with low risk and high rewards go, it doesn't get much better than piracy on the high seas. The profit margins can easily surpass those of the cocaine trade. The risks?
"There is no reason not to be a pirate," according to U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney, who commands the U.S. navy's Fifth Fleet. "The vessel I'm trying to pirate, they won't shoot at me. I'm going to get my money." Even pirates who are intercepted have little to fear. "They won't arrest me because there's no place to try me."
Gortney's assessment of piracy's low risk came in a radio interview that focused on the Gulf of Aden, where Somali pirates have carried out a string of increasingly brazen hijackings. Last week they ventured as far as the high seas southeast of Kenya to seize a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million (65 million pounds) worth of U.S.-bound crude.
Read more ....
Friday, November 21, 2008
Send In The Marines: Hit The Somali Pirates On Land -- A Commentary
From The New York Post:
US Marines have been singing about their exploits on the "shores of Tripoli" ever since President Thomas Jefferson sent them to scour out the world's most dangerous pirates, the Barbary corsairs, from their bases in North Africa in 1801. Now President Barack Obama may have to give the Corps the chance to add a new line - by sending Marines to destroy the newest generation of pirates, this time on the other side of Africa.
Read more ....
US Marines have been singing about their exploits on the "shores of Tripoli" ever since President Thomas Jefferson sent them to scour out the world's most dangerous pirates, the Barbary corsairs, from their bases in North Africa in 1801. Now President Barack Obama may have to give the Corps the chance to add a new line - by sending Marines to destroy the newest generation of pirates, this time on the other side of Africa.
Read more ....
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Tokyo Itches To Take On Pirates -- A Commentary
From Asia Times:
TOKYO - Shocked by a string of pirate attacks on Japanese-owned tankers off the coast of Somalia, normally pacifist Japan is considering a new bill for the deployment of its powerful navy to fend off marauders and protect vital trade routes off the coast of East Africa.
If Japan has thus far disappointed the international community by failing to implement effective anti-piracy measures to help safeguard the world economy - it may be more to do with legislative gridlock than any lack of political will. In fact, one prominent naval expert feels that Japan is in a unique position to play a leading role in resolving the escalating piracy crisis that is slowly paralyzing Asia's sea lanes.
Read more ....
TOKYO - Shocked by a string of pirate attacks on Japanese-owned tankers off the coast of Somalia, normally pacifist Japan is considering a new bill for the deployment of its powerful navy to fend off marauders and protect vital trade routes off the coast of East Africa.
If Japan has thus far disappointed the international community by failing to implement effective anti-piracy measures to help safeguard the world economy - it may be more to do with legislative gridlock than any lack of political will. In fact, one prominent naval expert feels that Japan is in a unique position to play a leading role in resolving the escalating piracy crisis that is slowly paralyzing Asia's sea lanes.
Read more ....
A Western Armada Is Not The Way To Sink Somalia's Pirates -- A Commentary
From The Guardian:
These fishermen-turned-hijackers are best tackled by local fleets - and by targeting poachers of the stock they used to catch
The seizure of the Saudi supertanker this week by the pirates of Somalia was their most audacious attack to date, but it was not their first. The pirates hit the headlines a little over three years ago, on November 5 2005, when they attempted to hijack the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit some 75 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. This brazen but unsuccessful attack triggered the first wave of reports on piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of this beleaguered nation, which has not seen a central and effective government since the downfall of the Siad Barre regime in January 1991.
Read more ....
These fishermen-turned-hijackers are best tackled by local fleets - and by targeting poachers of the stock they used to catch
The seizure of the Saudi supertanker this week by the pirates of Somalia was their most audacious attack to date, but it was not their first. The pirates hit the headlines a little over three years ago, on November 5 2005, when they attempted to hijack the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit some 75 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. This brazen but unsuccessful attack triggered the first wave of reports on piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of this beleaguered nation, which has not seen a central and effective government since the downfall of the Siad Barre regime in January 1991.
Read more ....
At War With Pirates On The High Seas -- A Commentary
From L.A. Times:
When pirates operating off the coast of Somalia started increasing their attacks on merchant vessels earlier this year, world leaders shrugged. When marauders captured a Ukrainian ship full of tanks and small arms in September, they sat up and took notice. On Saturday, modern-day buccaneers swooped down on what may be the largest ship ever captured by pirates, a supertanker carrying so much oil that news of its seizure caused a temporary uptick in world crude prices. Is it time to declare a war on piracy?
Read more ....
When pirates operating off the coast of Somalia started increasing their attacks on merchant vessels earlier this year, world leaders shrugged. When marauders captured a Ukrainian ship full of tanks and small arms in September, they sat up and took notice. On Saturday, modern-day buccaneers swooped down on what may be the largest ship ever captured by pirates, a supertanker carrying so much oil that news of its seizure caused a temporary uptick in world crude prices. Is it time to declare a war on piracy?
Read more ....
At War With Pirates On The High Seas -- A Commentary
From L.A. Times:
When pirates operating off the coast of Somalia started increasing their attacks on merchant vessels earlier this year, world leaders shrugged. When marauders captured a Ukrainian ship full of tanks and small arms in September, they sat up and took notice. On Saturday, modern-day buccaneers swooped down on what may be the largest ship ever captured by pirates, a supertanker carrying so much oil that news of its seizure caused a temporary uptick in world crude prices. Is it time to declare a war on piracy?
Read more ....
When pirates operating off the coast of Somalia started increasing their attacks on merchant vessels earlier this year, world leaders shrugged. When marauders captured a Ukrainian ship full of tanks and small arms in September, they sat up and took notice. On Saturday, modern-day buccaneers swooped down on what may be the largest ship ever captured by pirates, a supertanker carrying so much oil that news of its seizure caused a temporary uptick in world crude prices. Is it time to declare a war on piracy?
Read more ....
Pirates Humble The West -- A Commentary
From Commentary Magazine:
Yesterday, a NATO spokesman announced that the organization has no plans to go to the rescue of the Sirius Star, the Saudi supertanker captured by pirates on Saturday in the Indian Ocean. “I’m not aware that there’s any intention by NATO to try to intercept this ship,” said spokesman James Appathurai.
The organization, he noted, could prevent interceptions but has no mandate to board boats that have already been hijacked. Moreover, the Sirius Star, the largest ship ever taken by pirates, was outside the alliance’s area of operations at the time of seizure. Presently, two NATO vessels-supplied by Greece and Italy-are escorting World Food Program shipments into Mogadishu pursuant to a U.N. mandate and two other warships-from Turkey and Britain-are on deterrence patrols in the Gulf of Aden.
Read more ....
Yesterday, a NATO spokesman announced that the organization has no plans to go to the rescue of the Sirius Star, the Saudi supertanker captured by pirates on Saturday in the Indian Ocean. “I’m not aware that there’s any intention by NATO to try to intercept this ship,” said spokesman James Appathurai.
The organization, he noted, could prevent interceptions but has no mandate to board boats that have already been hijacked. Moreover, the Sirius Star, the largest ship ever taken by pirates, was outside the alliance’s area of operations at the time of seizure. Presently, two NATO vessels-supplied by Greece and Italy-are escorting World Food Program shipments into Mogadishu pursuant to a U.N. mandate and two other warships-from Turkey and Britain-are on deterrence patrols in the Gulf of Aden.
Read more ....
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
A Surge To Wipe Out Pirates Of The Horn -- A Commentary
From Real Clear World:
Last night the Indian Navy Ship Tabar struck a long overdue blow for freedom of the seas by sinking a pirate mother ship in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. At last, the pirates will know that the hijacking party has been crashed.
Some are questioning whether the Tabar acted in self-defense. Ridiculous, they acted in the cause of law and order in support of freedom - a much higher calling.
Read more ....
Last night the Indian Navy Ship Tabar struck a long overdue blow for freedom of the seas by sinking a pirate mother ship in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. At last, the pirates will know that the hijacking party has been crashed.
Some are questioning whether the Tabar acted in self-defense. Ridiculous, they acted in the cause of law and order in support of freedom - a much higher calling.
Read more ....
Pirates Exploit Confusion About International Law -- A Commentary
From The Wall Street Journal:
On Saturday off the coast of East Africa, pirates seized its largest catch ever: a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker called the Sirius Star. The brazen attack came on the heels of the capture of a Ukrainian vessel (loaded with armaments destined for Kenya) by Somali pirates in September. Humanitarian food shipments into Somalia have had naval escort for nearly a year -- evidence of how much the security of sea lanes has eroded. Media reports suggest that Somali pirates have already attacked more than 80 ships in 2008.
Read more ....
On Saturday off the coast of East Africa, pirates seized its largest catch ever: a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker called the Sirius Star. The brazen attack came on the heels of the capture of a Ukrainian vessel (loaded with armaments destined for Kenya) by Somali pirates in September. Humanitarian food shipments into Somalia have had naval escort for nearly a year -- evidence of how much the security of sea lanes has eroded. Media reports suggest that Somali pirates have already attacked more than 80 ships in 2008.
Read more ....
Deep-Six Piracy -- A Commentary
From IBD Editorial:
Energy: Piracy has always been a shipping hazard, but Somalia's buccaneers have taken it up a notch. Their hijacking of a supertanker Monday shows how vulnerable oil supplies are and how critical it is to stop them.
Events around the Horn of Africa are often bellwethers of trouble. The terror attacks on the USS Cole and the U.S. embassies in East Africa presaged 9/11. Saturday's unprecedented attack on a 319,000-ton supertanker with $100 million in oil could be a warning of a new threat to world energy.
Read more ....
Energy: Piracy has always been a shipping hazard, but Somalia's buccaneers have taken it up a notch. Their hijacking of a supertanker Monday shows how vulnerable oil supplies are and how critical it is to stop them.
Events around the Horn of Africa are often bellwethers of trouble. The terror attacks on the USS Cole and the U.S. embassies in East Africa presaged 9/11. Saturday's unprecedented attack on a 319,000-ton supertanker with $100 million in oil could be a warning of a new threat to world energy.
Read more ....
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Pirates Of The Gulf -- A Commentary
From The International Herald Tribune:
Over the weekend, Somali pirates undertook their most daring mission to date - seizing the MV Sirius Star, an oil supertanker owned by Saudi Aramco. Seized some 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya, this brazen act represents a major threat to both the world's energy security as well as a growing threat to the shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Yet piracy in this region is not a new story. According to the International Maritime Bureau, between 1995 and 2002, there were 110 incidents of actual or attempted piracy off the waters of the countries that form the Horn of Africa. Between January and June of this year, Somali pirates were responsible for all 19 attacks in the Gulf of Aden. But the international community didn't take the threat too seriously.
Read more ....
Over the weekend, Somali pirates undertook their most daring mission to date - seizing the MV Sirius Star, an oil supertanker owned by Saudi Aramco. Seized some 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya, this brazen act represents a major threat to both the world's energy security as well as a growing threat to the shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Yet piracy in this region is not a new story. According to the International Maritime Bureau, between 1995 and 2002, there were 110 incidents of actual or attempted piracy off the waters of the countries that form the Horn of Africa. Between January and June of this year, Somali pirates were responsible for all 19 attacks in the Gulf of Aden. But the international community didn't take the threat too seriously.
Read more ....
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