Indian Navy and International Anti-Piracy Ops

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Nayak
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nayak »

Somalia is rife with heavy-weapons. Most of the pirates have access to AAA guns too. A 7.62 mmg can cause serious damage to a chopper. The best option would be to hit them from outside the range of small/medium arms fire.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Dileep »

Just like the boots on the ground had to change equipment and tactics to deal with the "insurgents", the boots in the sea need to do their stuff for the pirates.

Another age, another kind of war.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by niran »

In this Hulla Ballo I see Jingos missed this.

AFAIR since the ancient times this is the first time IN scared Pirates off on high seas,
that too far far away from Indian shores.
This is Great, calls for celebration.
M.B.M.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by p_saggu »

I was checking out saudi newspapers. Expectedly, no news there.

But I did find some interesting news that i've posted in the approbriate thread
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Rahul M »

just a bit of suggestion, take it FWIW.

this incident is an important one in the annals of independent India. If any jingo is willing to collect a handful of news items and write-up a small piece, there are strong chances that it will be accepted for publication in BRM.
so, if you want to see your name in print, here's your chance ! :D
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Aditya G »

What was the last armed action by our special forces before this incident?

Op Khukri - Sierra Leone?
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Rahul M »

outside India probably yes, discounting the happenings in congo.

I don't happen to remember the dates of action against pirates in mallacca straits area, were they before or after SL ?
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Aditya G »

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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Aditya G »

Operation Leech was in 1998. That's the last known action by marcos .... outside perhaps regular operations in J&K :-?
Rahul M wrote:outside India probably yes, discounting the happenings in congo.

I don't happen to remember the dates of action against pirates in mallacca straits area, were they before or after SL ?
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nikhil T »

Two important news:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11 ... a.pirates/
Safe Corridor Established
The Associated Press reported that a multinational force of warships has carved out a narrow shipping corridor off the coast of Somalia that is helping protect merchant vessels from pirate attacks, the force's commander said Monday.

Ninety percent of ships transiting the perilous Gulf of Aden are now using the guarded corridor and there have been no hijackings inside the zone since it was set up on August 22, said Danish Commodore Per Bigum Christensen.

In a telephone interview from his East African base in Djibouti, Christensen said coalition naval forces were also having success using planes, helicopters and drones to find and track suspect vessels until they can be boarded and searched, AP said.
2)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7725372.stm
The tanker, the Karagol, was hijacked 26km (16 miles) off the coast of Yemen on its way to India.
It was carrying 4,500 tonnes of unspecified chemicals and was manned by a 14-member Turkish crew.

Foiled attempt
Earlier today, the Russian navy said Russian and British ships repelled a pirate attack on the Danish Ship, the Powerful, in waters off Somalia.
Seems like a good opportunity for Indian Navy to put all its foreign-naval exercises to use in an actual multi-national operation. It also begets the question, whether the IN has actually been invited to join the multinational naval force ?
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by vavinash »

IN doesn't need to operate in any multinational fleet with porkis and others. India can man the are on their own. I hope GOI sends 3-4 (1-2 frigates + 2-3 Patrol ships) ships on three month deployment soon.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nikhil T »

vavinash wrote:IN doesn't need to operate in any multinational fleet with porkis and others. India can man the are on their own. I hope GOI sends 3-4 (1-2 frigates + 2-3 Patrol ships) ships on three month deployment soon.
Leaving aside the rhetoric, what would a 3 month deployment do when we won't harm the pirates ? Teach them not to touch any Indian ships or we would come back again ?
Its better to join a coalition to effectively man the 'safe strip' than to send out helicopters as and when pirates strike. We did it in Malacca straits for Op Enduring Freedom, we can do it in off-Somalia ... for ourselves.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by vavinash »

There is already a coalition in place with porkis called the CFT-150. IN can base its ships in rotation in oman and patrol the aden. Op enduring freedom was most just IN and USN. Something on that line with USN's fifth fleet would be good. But I would stay away from CTF-150 and other initiatives.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by uddu »

vavinash wrote:There is already a coalition in place with porkis called the CFT-150. IN can base its ships in rotation in oman and patrol the aden. Op enduring freedom was most just IN and USN. Something on that line with USN's fifth fleet would be good. But I would stay away from CTF-150 and other initiatives.
Staying away from all coalitions in the region is a must. Iran will feel threatened if we join any coalition group. We must be on our own and responsible only for our actions in the region. The objective is Anti-piracy and co-operation in this area can be there with any Navy in the region. A naval base in the middle east is a must for India for a long term perspective. Atleast we must base some large patrol boats in there to strengthen the Anti-piracy operations.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nikhil T »

vavinash wrote:Something on that line with USN's fifth fleet would be good. But I would stay away from CTF-150 and other initiatives.
Just because Pakis also happen to be in the initiative??? Shouldn't the IN operate in a more mature manner, fitting for the world's 5th most powerful navy? Doesnt the Indian Army participate in UN Ops having significant Paki troops?
uddu wrote: Staying away from all coalitions in the region is a must. Iran will feel threatened if we join any coalition group. We must be on our own and responsible only for our actions in the region. The objective is Anti-piracy and co-operation in this area can be there with any Navy in the region. A naval base in the middle east is a must for India for a long term perspective. Atleast we must base some large patrol boats in there to strengthen the Anti-piracy operations.
The argument about Iran is too too far-fetched, for India's military engagement with the US is no secret. Plus we must realize that 90% of our sea-faring trade passed through this very area and hence, the primary motivation should only be anti-piracy.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by uddu »

uddu wrote: Staying away from all coalitions in the region is a must. Iran will feel threatened if we join any coalition group. We must be on our own and responsible only for our actions in the region. The objective is Anti-piracy and co-operation in this area can be there with any Navy in the region. A naval base in the middle east is a must for India for a long term perspective. Atleast we must base some large patrol boats in there to strengthen the Anti-piracy operations.
The argument about Iran is too too far-fetched, for India's military engagement with the US is no secret. Plus we must realize that 90% of our sea-faring trade passed through this very area and hence, the primary motivation should only be anti-piracy.[/quote]

We can have military engagement with the U.S and with Iran. It must not be an issue for us just because the they don't like each other. But we must not side with anyone group that is harmful to the other. Concentrate on just the Anti-piracy operation. In this we can co-operate by sharing information and acting on pirate activities with all the naval forces in the region. If required, even Iran in Anti-piracy operations.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by uddu »

An Indian Naval base in the region is a must. The region is far from our shores and it may not be feasible for us to reach there at the right time. So to act immediately, we need a base in the region where we can even place our ships that will be really helpful in anti-piracy operations. Recently we have pledged to protect Qatar at any cost if Qatar requires it. So this necessitates a presence in the region. If it is Qatar, that much better.

India, Qatar ink key defence cooperation pact
Link

Ammar Zaidi
Doha, Nov 10 (PTI) Taking bilateral ties to a new high, India and Qatar have signed a landmark defence cooperation pact, described by officials as an agreement "just short of stationing troops" in the oil-rich Gulf region.

Within hours of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's touchdown here last evening on the second leg of his three-day maiden visit to the Gulf, the two sides signed agreements on defence and security, dealing with key areas like maritime security, intelligence sharing on terrorism, money laundering and transnational crime.

The defence cooperation pact addresses security concerns of Qatar and seeks to safeguard India's interest, officials said.

"The agreement is just short of stationing troops (in the region)," a top Indian official said.

Joint training exercises, training of personnel and maritime cooperation are highlights of the landmark pact inked by Defence Secretary Vijay Singh and his Qatari counterpart last evening after Singh led delegation-level talks with his counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al Thani.

The defence pact lays out a structure for joint maritime security and training as well as exchange of visits.

Another agreement on law and security enforcement was signed by Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed and his Qatari counterpart.

The pact deals with issues such as money laundering and transnational crimes. It lays out framework for sharing of information and database on threats posed by extremists and other security and legal matters, officials said. PTI

India signs defence, security agreements with Qatar
Link

Ammar Zaidi
Doha, Nov 10 (PTI) Giving strategic depth to India-Qatar relations, the two countries have signed landmark defence and security agreements paving the way for joint maritime security and sharing of intelligence on threats posed by terrorists.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who arrived here from Muscat last evening on the second leg of his three-day maiden visit to the energy-rich Gulf region, held wide-ranging delegation level talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al Thani.

The talks resulted in two agreements on defence cooperation and security as well as law enforcement matters. The defence pact lays out a structure for joint maritime security and training as well as exchange of visits, officials said.

The security agreement would lay out the framework for sharing of information and data base on threats posed by extremists and other security and legal matters.

Prime Minister will meet Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani this afternoon to hold wide-ranging discussions.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, who joined the high level delegation this morning, met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah bin Hamad al Attiyah to discuss the possibility of importing an additional 2.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meeting growing energy needs back home.

India currently buys 5 million tonnes a year of LNG from RasGas of Qatar under a long-term contract. The ex-ship price of USD 2.53 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) is considered a 'steal' in current times when LNG prices are breaching USD 20 per mmBtu. PTI

India: PM vows to defend tiny Qatar 'if needed'
Link

New Delhi, 12 Nov. (AKI/Asian Age) - In a clear indication that India’s strategic sphere of influence is rapidly expanding beyond its immediate neighbourhood, the Indian government has agreed "to go to the rescue of Qatar, if Qatar requires it."

In marked contrast to the previous government, blocking US-backed moves by his deputy L.K. Advani to station Indian troops in Afghanistan, persistent efforts since 2005 by the tiny, energy-rich Gulf nation of Qatar to get a security deal bore fruit when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to protect Qatar’s considerable assets — petroleum and gas fields and sea lanes — if they were in peril.

"We will go to the rescue of Qatar if Qatar requires it, in whatever form it takes," an official said as Singh concluded a visit to the energy rich Gulf state, even as an Indian naval vessel thwarted attempts by pirates to hijack a vessel off the pirate infested waters off the coast of Somalia.

The Indian Navy has been deployed off the Gulf of Aden for a little over a month.

Qatar has been most persistent, and being a tiny country, the energy rich nation was concerned about its own security, despite a large US base, strategically placed at the narrow mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, from where Washington monitors nuclear Iran, an unstable Iraq and China’s growing footprint in the region, especially in developing the Pakistani port city of Gwadar.

Officials downplayed the agreement’s significance, saying it would not be a precursor to similar agreements with other friendly Gulf countries like Oman, saying: "India will not station troops in any foreign country. We don’t want to fight other people’s wars in foreign countries. This agreement is Qatar-specific."

The landmark security pact is however part of a larger area of cooperation where India and Qatar will work together to fight terrorism and cooperate on tackling transnational crime. A greater Indian naval presence could be seen in the Gulf as US troops shift their focus to Afghanistan-Pakistan.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by maz »

Here is an idea for the IN: why not deploy L41 Jalashva for anti piracy patrols. This large vessel can carry two INFAC /Super Dvora craft in her cavernous belly and probably have room left over for fast RHIB armed with HMG or even the CG interceptor craft armed with HMG, RL and AGL. In addition, the large flight deck would allow operation of 2 large and 2 small helos or 1 large, 3-4 small helos. It would be very useful to have embarked VTOL UAV as these could carry out airborne surveillance missions. The large helo would be a SKG for carrying more than four or so MArcos. The Chetaks, armed with LMG could conceivably be armed with AGL. However, operating helos from an exposed flt deck may pose some operational limitations. So, to recap, L41 with two deployable INFAC , 3-4 high speed RHIB, and upto 4 helos, would possess the ability to respond to multiple threats over a much wider area of operations than a single FFG or DDG type vessel can cover.

As a matter of fact, the Trishul class FFG ought to use the Ka 31 for airborne surveillance duties whilst operating in concert with a couple of B/G class FFG, each with TWO embarked helos. This combination would be much more effective than a single vessel with one helo.

In the longer term, deploying modern LPD and LPH/LHA type vessels with their organic air assets + AMCO, each carrying smaller interceptor craft for anti piracy patrols would be ideal. It may be necessary to fast track procurement of a few VTOL UAV (Schiebel?) and some 50-60 knot rapid response boats along the likes of Safeboats RRB-S or RRB-M (as used by the USCG and others). See also: http://www.mwdesign.net.au/brochure-lc/ ... ochure.pdf and http://www.mwdesign.net.au/brochure-lc/ ... or-bro.pdf and http://www.mwdesign.net.au/brochure-lc/brochures.htm
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by K Mehta »

IN PERSPECTIVE-Deccan Herald
Navy's twin strikes against pirates
By Bidanda M Chengappa
India's proactive role in dealing with Somali pirates may encourage others to follow suit.

For the first time New Delhi has actually dared to use the Indian Navy (IN) to project its sea force outside the Indian Ocean region, specially in peace time. The presence of Indian Naval Ship Tabar (INS Tabar) with its complement of marine commandos thwarted attempts by sea pirates to capture an Indian and a Saudi merchant vessel sailing in the Gulf of Aden. The INS Tabar, deployed in these international waters specifically for anti-piracy operations, succeeded in preventing two near-simultaneous piracy attempts. Earlier IN warships and Indian Coast Guard vessels have conducted anti-piracy operations but only in the Indian Ocean region.

Vulnerable waterway

The Gulf of Aden which links the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean is one of the world’s busiest waterways with over 20,000 ships sailing through annually. According to international shipping associations, there have been 40 hijackings and 133 kidnappings of sailors during 2008 alone; besides pirate attacks on shipping traffic in the Gulf of Aden. However, these are conservative figures because shipping companies frequently do not report attacks out of concern over increase in insurance premiums. The area is vulnerable to piracy because Somalia has had no functioning government since 1991. The International Maritime Bureau estimates that over 1,200 Somalis and at least six large groups are involved in piracy. As of now, these pirates are reportedly holding 10 ships hostage.

In this backdrop, it was surprising that the UPA government was sitting on an IN proposal to ensure the security of Indian maritime interests off Somalia. Defence Minister A K Antony, initially stated “as a policy, the government would not carry out a hot pursuit of pirates, as it has wider implications.” He expressed a sense of helplessness considering that the presence of non-Asian navies like those of the US, France, Canada and UK had proved futile against pirates.

This reluctance despite the UN Security Council Resolution 1816, adopted with Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government’s consent in June 2008, which authorises use of “all necessary means” to suppress acts of piracy, for a period of six months. Evidently, the UNSCR 1816 took shape owing to ship owners across the globe lobbying with the UN’s International Maritime Organisation to act against piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery on the ships plying in the Gulf of Aden by Somalia based pirates.

Considering that about 200 Indian merchant vessels ply in international waters every day, the Indian National Shipowners Association had approached the government seeking appropriate action to ensure the safety of Indian-owned vessels. Probably this made the government dispatch the INS Tabar to the Gulf of Aden.

Clearly this shows that New Delhi had all along been ‘sea blind’. The government has till recently fought shy of using IN warships as instruments of national security and foreign policy.

However in June 2006 during the Lebanon conflict, an IN warship was used to evacuate Indian citizens trapped in the war-torn country. In a sense, this amounted to a change in mindset of the political leadership. A navy has war fighting, diplomatic and constabulary roles. In this case the constabulary role assumes relevance to combat piracy as a secondary role which should be used to promote national economic interests.

Piracy upswing

Today marine piracy is on the upswing owing to various considerations including: lax port security and ineffective coastal surveillance; massive growth in commercial maritime traffic; heavy use of narrow and congested sea chokepoints and competing resource requirements stemming from heightened national and international pressure to enact expensive, land-based homeland security systems following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to Peter Chalk of Rand Corporation.

Moreover, with various governments having paid huge ransoms to Somali pirates in the recent past, it has only encouraged them further. India’s proactive role in dealing with Somali pirates may now encourage other countries to follow suit.
Posting in full for discussion.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nitesh »

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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by anupmisra »

Yemen is a staunch pro-India nation and is ideally situated in the Gulf region for India to secure a naval/air base. It has a huge Indian population. I recall the Soviets had a base there a while ago. Please correct me if I m wrong.

The problem will be that the Western nations currently with interests in the region may object. One can also expect the porkis to jump up and down.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nayak »

Seems an Indian ship requested for help and the request was turned down. IN needs a minimum of 4-5 ships patrolling the straits. News report suggest minimum one Indian-bound ship passes by Somalia, and India is particularly vulnerable.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Lalmohan »

ajay pratap wrote:In this Hulla Ballo I see Jingos missed this.

AFAIR since the ancient times this is the first time IN scared Pirates off on high seas,
that too far far away from Indian shores.
This is Great, calls for celebration.
M.B.M.
depends on what you mean by ancient. it seems that a Mughal man of war intercepted a pirate called Captain Tew and had him blown by cannon from the deck, somewhere in the Arabian sea in the late 18th century. No doubt there would have been other incidents of this nature
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Ameet »

Chinese fishing boat captured of the coast of Somalia

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financia ... EPHNG0.htm

Somali pirates early Friday captured a Chinese fishing boat and its multinational crew, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Tianyu No. 8 was seized at about 2 a.m. Beijing time while fishing off the coast of Kenya, (wonder what they are fishing off the Kenyan coast? Seems a little far just to go fishing. Have they added Africa to the list of places that historically used to be part of China?) Xinhua said, citing an unidentified source with the Transport Ministry. The pirates ordered the crew to sail north toward the Somali coast, it said.

The boat's 24-member crew includes 15 Chinese, one Taiwanese, one Japanese, three Filipinos and four Vietnamese, Xinhua said. The Transport Ministry has ordered a response to be coordinated with the foreign and agriculture ministries, it said.

The Foreign Ministry said it had no immediate information about the report.

Pirate attacks aimed at collecting ransoms are common off Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991.

A NATO flotilla of seven vessels is patrolling the Gulf of Aden to help the U.S. 5th Fleet in anti-piracy patrols and to escort cargo vessels. The 5th Fleet said that it has repelled about two dozen pirate attacks since Aug 22.

China's navy is mainly intended for coastal defense and has little experience operating away from its home ports. :rotfl: What a slap in the face of PLAN, especially a few days after IN rescued those ships. I expect full protests at BW office in Beijing.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by vavinash »

Nayak wrote:Seems an Indian ship requested for help and the request was turned down. IN needs a minimum of 4-5 ships patrolling the straits. News report suggest minimum one Indian-bound ship passes by Somalia, and India is particularly vulnerable.
If there is one Indian bound ship why do you need 4-5 ships? I would just assign 2 ships to escort the indian ships. Other countries can defend their own ships, Its not our responsibility.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nitesh »

SA naval chief praises Indian Navy's action against pirates

Kochi (PTI): Praising the Indian navy's recent action against Somali pirates, South African Naval Chief Magalefa today said that the entire world should join together to tackle piracy on high seas.

"We should support such an action," Rear Admiral Magalefa said, referring to the Indian navy's action against pirates foiling their attempts to hijack a commercial liner in the Gulf of Aden recently.

Speaking to reporters on board South African warship 'Sas Spioenkop', which arrived here this morning, he said "we cannot as a coastal country be blind and insensitive to the threat of piracy. We are very much concerned with what is happening around the whole of Africa."

"We believe that this problem that is around the whole of Africa and any other such places like the west Africa, it is a problem that the international community must come up and have consensus on how to deal with it," he said, adding "it is not a problem that can be left to one country. It is a problem that the whole world should look at it."

He said, "we do not believe in unilateralism, we believe in multi-lateralism. We should come together as a world and say how do we deal with it."

"... South Africa will not hesitate to get involved ... you can count on us. We will get involved," he said.

Replying to a query, Rear Admiral Megalefa said, "One must applaud India for its intervention a few days ago."

"One of the issues we will be talking about with India is how best to proceed, may be under the India Brazil South Africa Agreement, which is already there. These issues must be addressed because the threat that is out at sea is threatening the very economic well being of India itself and South Africa as well," he said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/00 ... 150943.htm
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More Pirates to kill...

Post by Shivani »

Somali pirates seize supertanker loaded with crude
The Associated Press wrote:
By BARBARA SURK – 38 minutes ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Somali pirates hijacked a supertanker hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa, seizing the Saudi-owned ship loaded with crude and its 25-member crew, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

It appeared to be the largest ship ever seized by pirates.

After the brazen hijacking, the pirates on Monday sailed the Sirius Star to a Somali port that has become a haven for bandits and the ships they have seized, a Navy spokesman said.

The hijacking was among the most brazen in a surge in attacks this year by ransom-hungry Somali pirates. Attacks off the Somali coast have increased more than 75 percent this year, and even the world's largest vessels are vulnerable.

The Sirius Star, commissioned in March and owned by the Saudi oil company Aramco, is 1,080 feet long — about the length of an aircraft carrier — making it one of the largest ships to sail the seas. It can carry about 2 million barrels of oil.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said the pirates hijacked the ship on Saturday about 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya — the farthest out to sea Somali pirates have struck.

By expanding their range, Somali pirates are "certainly a threat to many more vessels," Christensen said. He said the pirates on the Sirius Star were "nearing an anchorage point" at the Somali port town of Eylon Monday.

Somali pirates have seized at least six several ships off the Horn of Africa in the past week, but the hijacking of a supertanker marked a dramatic escalation.

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 rockets launchers and various types of grenades.

With most attacks ending with million-dollar payouts, piracy is considered the most lucrative work in Somalia. Pirates rarely hurt their hostages, instead holding out for a huge payday.

The strategy works well: A report last month by a London-based think tank said pirates have raked in up to $30 million in ransoms this year alone.

In Somalia, pirates are better-funded, better-organized and better-armed than one might imagine in a country that has been in tatters for nearly two decades.

They do occasionally get nabbed, however. Earlier this year, French commandos used night vision goggles and helicopters in operations that killed or captured several pirates, who are now standing trial in Paris. A stepped-up international presence of warships recently also appears to have deterred several attacks.

The Sirius Star was sailing under a Liberian flag. The 25-member crew includes citizens of Croatia, Britain, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia. A British Foreign Office spokesman said there were at least two British nationals on board.

An operator with Aramco said there was no one available at the company to comment after business hours. Calls went unanswered at Vela International, the Dubai-based marine company that operated the ship for Aramco.

Classed as a Very Large Crude Carrier, the Sirius Star is 318,000 dead weight tons.

Raja Kiwan, a Dubai-based analyst with PFC Energy, said the hijacking raises "some serious questions" about what is needed to secure such ships on the open seas.

"It's not easy to take over a ship" as massive as oil tankers, which typically have armed guards on board, he said.

But pirates have gone after oil tankers before.

In October, a Spanish military patrol plane thwarted pirates trying to hijack an oil tanker by buzzing them three times and dropping smoke canisters.

On April 21, pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades at a Japanese oil tanker, leaving a hole that allowed several hundred gallons of fuel to leak out, raising fears for the environment.

In September, three pirates in a speed boat fired machine guns at an Iranian crude oil carrier, though the ship escaped after a 30-minute chase.

Warships from the more than a dozen nations as well as NATO forces have focused their anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, increasing their military presence in recent months.

But Saturday's hijacking occurred much farther south, highlighting weaknesses in the international response.

Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of British company Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service Ltd, said the increased international presence trying to prevent attacks is simply not enough.

"The coalition has suppressed a number of attacks ... but there will never be enough warships," he said, describing an area that covers 2.5 million square miles.

He also speculated that the crew of the Sirius Star may have had a false sense of security because they were so far out to sea.

He said the coalition warships will have to be "one step ahead of the pirates. The difficulty here is that the ship was beyond the area where the coalition were currently acting."


Associated Press Writer Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.

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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Singha »

dont see any option other than trained security details armed with MMG and sniper rifles on board. the attacks seem to be mostly by day? a guy armed with a 0.50 cal sniper rifle
should be able to dissuade a pirate boat with a few shots imo...like having their leaders brains splatter all over their deck.

UN should also reach an agreement to use the space freed in Gitmo by released detainees for captured pirates and prosecute them harshly under some special UN law.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Avid »

I would think it would be better to temporarily base Corvettes in Qatar and/or Yemen to increase the coverage.

You really do not need a destroyer/frigate for the pirates coming in speed boats - it is more important to be able to intervene quicker and sink them at a distance.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nikhil T »

Singha wrote: with a few shots imo...like having their leaders brains splatter all over their deck.

UN should also reach an agreement to use the space freed in Gitmo by released detainees for captured pirates and prosecute them harshly under some special UN law
.
With all due respect, any talk of using Gitmo/splattering brains over the deck is inhuman IMO. The very fact that these guys are willing to risk slaughter by the might of navies like USN, Royal Navy etc. is a horrid reminder to the pathetic condition of the country they are in.
A country of 30 million is surviving on a GDP of $5 billion..its a humanitarian crisis. Rather than the onboard snipers killing 2-3 desperadoes every time, the world would be better served by having the UN intervene and assisting this country to rebuild itself. If a country like Afghanistan with all the Taliban militia could be forced into having a skeletal government, Somalia would be much much lesser of a trouble. After all, isnt that what the UN is for ?
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by andy B »

nikhil_t wrote:
Singha wrote: with a few shots imo...like having their leaders brains splatter all over their deck.

UN should also reach an agreement to use the space freed in Gitmo by released detainees for captured pirates and prosecute them harshly under some special UN law
.
With all due respect, any talk of using Gitmo/splattering brains over the deck is inhuman IMO. The very fact that these guys are willing to risk slaughter by the might of navies like USN, Royal Navy etc. is a horrid reminder to the pathetic condition of the country they are in.
A country of 30 million is surviving on a GDP of $5 billion..its a humanitarian crisis. Rather than the onboard snipers killing 2-3 desperadoes every time, the world would be better served by having the UN intervene and assisting this country to rebuild itself. If a country like Afghanistan with all the Taliban militia could be forced into having a skeletal government, Somalia would be much much lesser of a trouble. After all, isnt that what the UN is for ?
Nikhil mate completely agree with you, however what you say would only happen in an ideal "perfect" world. Right now the world just sees this as a major pest than anything else. Besides these days nobody is going to go in unless they get something in return ala Unkil. UN peace keepers are stretched out everywhere and if they(UN) havent moved until know, dont know how long will it be before the UN actually moves on Sudan. Also these guys are willing to risk slaughter because they can make a lot of money out of it and quickly too.
The only way I see out of it is like Singha saar pointed ships carry their own security teams with snipers. I also believe that there needs to be a decissive campaign where major navies just go in and sink these mofos down. By paying ransoms these guys are getting more and more equipment before you know it they will be using better weapons and the problem will keep multiplying. :evil:
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nikhil T »

Nikhil mate completely agree with you, however what you say would only happen in an ideal "perfect" world. Right now the world just sees this as a major pest than anything else. Besides these days nobody is going to go in unless they get something in return ala Unkil. UN peace keepers are stretched out everywhere and if they(UN) havent moved until know, dont know how long will it be before the UN actually moves on Sudan. Also these guys are willing to risk slaughter because they can make a lot of money out of it and quickly too.
The only way I see out of it is like Singha saar pointed ships carry their own security teams with snipers. I also believe that there needs to be a decisive campaign where major navies just go in and sink these mofos down. By paying ransoms these guys are getting more and more equipment before you know it they will be using better weapons and the problem will keep multiplying. :evil:
Anand, don't you think these guys are aware of the multilateral action that is getting bigger and bigger everyday? Had they been just after the money, they would've lied low for a month or so, till when the international attention would've died and then resumed thereafter. I'm sure they are intelligent enough not to kill their golden goose themselves. After all, not all navies would stay in the waters and certainly not all trade ships would carry snipers. The world revolves around oil, and capturing VLCCs would only invite more punitive action, even they know that.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by vavinash »

nikhil_t wrote:
Singha wrote: with a few shots imo...like having their leaders brains splatter all over their deck.

UN should also reach an agreement to use the space freed in Gitmo by released detainees for captured pirates and prosecute them harshly under some special UN law
.
With all due respect, any talk of using Gitmo/splattering brains over the deck is inhuman IMO. The very fact that these guys are willing to risk slaughter by the might of navies like USN, Royal Navy etc. is a horrid reminder to the pathetic condition of the country they are in.
A country of 30 million is surviving on a GDP of $5 billion..its a humanitarian crisis. Rather than the onboard snipers killing 2-3 desperadoes every time, the world would be better served by having the UN intervene and assisting this country to rebuild itself. If a country like Afghanistan with all the Taliban militia could be forced into having a skeletal government, Somalia would be much much lesser of a trouble. After all, isnt that what the UN is for ?
The UN can reconstruct somalia on its own sweet time but for now I agree with singha ji. Give navy the permission to hunt and slaughter the pirates. If you don't negotiate with terrorists there is no need to negotiate with pirates. A few bombs and missiles on their villages ought to be served as a warning first. Frankly if all 30 million are wiped out its no loss to humanity.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Raja Bose »

nikhil_t wrote: Anand, don't you think these guys are aware of the multilateral action that is getting bigger and bigger everyday? Had they been just after the money, they would've lied low for a month or so, till when the international attention would've died and then resumed thereafter. I'm sure they are intelligent enough not to kill their golden goose themselves. After all, not all navies would stay in the waters and certainly not all trade ships would carry snipers. The world revolves around oil, and capturing VLCCs would only invite more punitive action, even they know that.
Based on what you are saying these pirates either consider committing piracy: (a) their patriotic duty (b) religious duty/jihad (c) their only way out of grinding poverty. If its (a) or (b) they deserve to get blown up through all ways, means and form. If it is (c), they have had aid poured into them by the billions thru UN and God knows whom....all that resulted in was those warlords hijacking food convoys and more fighting. So, some tough love is required here hence, in this case also they deserve to get blown up through all ways, means and form till they learn a lesson. I dont think the pirates are just some honest folks who have fallen on bad times and are resorting to this as a last means for putting food on the table. In fact they seem to be working for those same warlords who were previously fighting on land and have now latched on to this new goose. And the less said about the khat chewing somali the better.

What you suggest would work in utopia with UN lending brotherly hand and all warlords weeping and realizing their sins. Unfortunately we dont live in utopia and if mighty nations get their interests threatened, the weak tormenting them pay for it with their lives.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Singha »

the british managed to eradicate piracy in the caribbean region only through fairly brutal
judicial process like hanging them or letting them drown rather than pour aid on them.

normal family oriented somali's (or anyone else) no matter what the level of poverty will
not become pirates, these pirates are well fed employees of the warlords and are doing
it to make money and live the good life.

hence they deserve a harsh response. but problem is at any given time they hold a set of
mutinational hostages and will execute them to set an example if someone kills pirates.

a response to succeed must be all out attack on all pirate ports to rescue all the hostages
possible and shut down this scam forever. a coalition ship would then appear weekly off
Puntland ports, fire 100 x 5" shells to clear everything on land and sail off to keep things
quiet.
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by AdityaM »

Something on that line with USN's fifth fleet would be good. But I would stay away from CTF-150 and other initiatives.
Just because Pakis also happen to be in the initiative??? Shouldn't the IN operate in a more mature manner, fitting for the world's 5th most powerful navy?
I would just love to see a Paki naval ship hijacked by Pirates :rotfl:
(sorry, couldn't stop myself from writing this)
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nayak »


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Citi ... 725385.cms

Fearing pirates, sailors look for new jobs
18 Nov 2008, 0402 hrs IST, Jaya Menon, TNN
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
CHENNAI: Anbu Rangaswami (37), was a weather-beaten seafarer, enjoying the sight of the blue, choppy oceans and smelling the salty tang in the air. That was until M T Sabarimalai, a chemical tanker, was ambushed by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

Anbu, who was second officer engineer on the ship then can never forget Diwali day in the year 2000. His wife, Sunitha and about 30 crew members were heading back to India from a North Atlantic Port in Morocco, through Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea when they were attacked by pirates.

"We managed to deter the pirates by rigging up fire hoses on the main deck and forcing high pressure water jets on them," recalled Rangaswami. But the experience had left a deep scar.

"As an unarmed merchant mariner with my wife (Sunitha) on board, this unfortunate encounter with hard- core pirates left a deep trauma in my mind. In fact, during the encounter, at one stage my wife had to hide herself in an empty oil drum in the ship's engine room. She was the only lady on board."

Three years later, Rangaswami switched profession. Today, he is a Chennai-based financial controller for a leading private bank.

The frequent high sea ambushes and reports of pirate attacks are driving adventurous, hardened seafarers across the country to ‘softer' jobs - business, construction and tamer seas. A year after 27-year-old Maria Vijayan went through a traumatic experience in Somalian waters, the Chinnathurai youth from Kanyakumari is now in Chennai, trying to set up a duty-paid goods shop. "No more sea for me," he says, the six-month ordeal with pirates still vividly etched in his mind. "I am seriously thinking of visiting a psychiatrist. I am not able to sleep at night," he says.

Fifty-two-year-old captain Antony Cruze Lawrence is now back in Indian waters on a long liner, fishing for tuna. Nothing would drag him to Gulf of Aden again where he was captain of Iliyan 3, a huge fishing trawler which operated between Tanzania and Yemen.

On one single day in May 2008, Lawrence witnessed five pirate attacks on ships sailing ahead of him. "They would come in small fishing boats and attack big ships, even a VLCC Tanker, and flee with loot," he recalls with horror. Lawrence contacted the American coalition war ship and returned home on June 23. Now he refuses to take calls from ship owners in Yemen or Tanzania though he gets paid just $ 500 compared to the monthly pay of $ 2000.

"Officers and crew are now demanding safe passage before they set off. In fact, there was a mid-sea strike about a month ago when the crew of a ship carrying aviation turbine fuel loaded at Kuwait and headed for London simply refused to go through Gulf of Aden fearing pirate attack," says S S Kulkarni, secretary general of the Indian National Ship Owners Association (INSA).

"The sea no longer fascinates. We are losing experienced officers and crew members to other professions," he adds. Recently, crew members of ships belonging to Great Eastern Shipping Company and Shipping Corporation of India refused to leave Mumbai harbour without an assurance about their safety.

"There is a great amount of apprehension among crew members after one of our ships were tailed by pirates last week," says a top officer of Great Eastern, adding heavily: "No parents now want their children, nor wives their husbands, out at sea."
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Re: INS Tabar nails pirate ship (sort of)

Post by Nikhil T »

vavinash wrote: The UN can reconstruct somalia on its own sweet time but for now I agree with singha ji. Give navy the permission to hunt and slaughter the pirates. If you don't negotiate with terrorists there is no need to negotiate with pirates. .
I'm all for concerted naval action but the cheapest, most effective and humanely option right now is to maintain the "Safe Strip" that the USN and coalition forces have established.
A few bombs and missiles on their villages ought to be served as a warning first. Frankly if all 30 million are wiped out its no loss to humanity
Talk like this is precisely what I'm worried about. You dont have to search hard to find documentaries on Somalia's dying millions.
"The civil war is exacerbating already severe conditions in the country. 2006 saw an extreme drought followed by the worst storms and floods in decades, causing misery and danger to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees that traveled to Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and beyond."
You think you can bomb these people out of piracy ?
Singha wrote: normal family oriented somali's (or anyone else) no matter what the level of poverty will
not become pirates, these pirates are well fed employees of the warlords and are doing
it to make money and live the good life.
Singha sir isnt it equally possible that the warlords are exploiting these under-fed, drugged guys to carry off attacks while the warlords themselves lead a good life ? Unkil has all along been playing a double role ..on one side arming the Ethiopians to virtually run down the country just to prevent a hostile Islamic government from coming to power and on the other hand, washing its hands off a "lawless, ungoverned" country. African Union has been trying to restore order with its 8000 troops and the UN has been supporting the 2million displaced by food aid. Incidentally this has been rated by UN to be Africa's worst humanitarian crisis ever.
IMO we should support an iron handed reaction to any violation of the "Safe Strip" while working for a concerted UN humanitarian mission.
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