Thai Fishing Boat Hijacked Off The Coast Of Somalia

[sriracha john]

Pirates hijack 8 ships in two weeks

Kuala Lumpur - Pirates hijacked a Thai fishing boat with 16 crew members off the coast of Somalia, the eighth ship to be seized in the area in the past two weeks, a maritime official said on Wednesday.

The boat was seized on Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur. Also on Tuesday, an Iranian bulk cargo carrier with 25 crew members was seized in the area, according to earlier reports.

Both vessels were heading to the Middle East when they were hijacked, he said.

The Thai boat, which was flying a Kiribati flag, but operated out of Thailand, made a distress call late on Monday as it was chased by pirates in two speedboats, but the phone line got cut off midway, he said.

The bulk carrier was flying a Hong Kong flag, but operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.

"There is no firm deterrent, that's why the pirate attacks are continuing. The criminal activities are flourishing because the risks are low and the rewards are extremely high," Choong said.

Tuesday's incidents bring the number of attacks in Somali waters this year to 95, with 39 ships hijacked.

Thai government spokesperson Nattawut Sai-gua said he had not been informed of the development. He said officials are checking with their diplomatic missions in the region.

Choong said 17 vessels remain in the hands of pirates, along with more than 300 crew, including a Ukrainian ship loaded with arms and a Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100m in crude oil.

Despite increased patrols by a multi-coalition naval force, attacks have continued unabated off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has had no functioning government since 1991.

A major Norwegian shipping group Odfjell SE on Tuesday ordered its more than 90 tankers to sail around Africa rather than use the Suez Canal after the seizure of the Saudi tanker MV Sirius Star on Saturday.

"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," said Terje Storeng, Odfjell's president and chief executive. "Unless we are explicitly committed by existing contracts to sail through this area, as from today we will reroute our ships around Cape of Good Hope."

The Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, connects to the Red Sea, which in turn is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. The route is thousands of kilometres and many days shorter than going around the Cape of Good Hope off the southern tip of Africa.

"This will incur significant extra cost, but we expect our customers' support and contribution," Storeng said.

- Associated Press / 13 minutes ago

[Moonrakers]

Captain Jack Sparrow and friends are getting out of hand in Somalia.

What is a Thai fishing boat doing all the way over there anyway?

[bkkjames]

Captain Jack Sparrow and friends are getting out of hand in Somalia.

What is a Thai fishing boat doing all the way over there anyway?

Fishing for oil I suspect.

[Mosha]

Taking Thaksin to Togo?

[McLovin]

Grrrrrrrr, I be releasing your ship when I be getting my bounty of Som Tam Grrrrrrrr

[sriracha john]

The Thai boat, which was flying a Kiribati flag, but operated out of Thailand, made a distress call late on Monday

Had to look that one up myself... it used to be the Gilbert Islands...tiny nation of only 105,432 people on 32 tiny, small pieces of land (280 square miles total), but spread out over a huge area (1,351,000 square miles) in the South Pacific...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati

[bkkjames]

The Thai boat, which was flying a Kiribati flag, but operated out of Thailand, made a distress call late on Monday

Had to look that one up myself... it used to be the Gilbert Islands...tiny nation of only 105,432 people on 32 tiny, small pieces of land (280 square miles total), but spread out over a huge area (1,351,000 square miles) in the South Pacific...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati

John, perhaps there is an opening for you at the Government ....

Thai government spokesperson Nattawut Sai-gua said he had not been informed of the development. He said officials are checking with their diplomatic missions in the region.

[Moonrakers]

Captain Jack Sparrow and friends are getting out of hand in Somalia.

What is a Thai fishing boat doing all the way over there anyway?

Fishing for oil I suspect.

And with nets no doubt.

[sriracha john]

The Thai boat, which was flying a Kiribati flag, but operated out of Thailand, made a distress call late on Monday

Had to look that one up myself... it used to be the Gilbert Islands...tiny nation of only 105,432 people on 32 tiny, small pieces of land (280 square miles total), but spread out over a huge area (1,351,000 square miles) in the South Pacific...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati

John, perhaps there is an opening for you at the Government ....

Thai government spokesperson Nattawut Sai-gua said he had not been informed of the development. He said officials are checking with their diplomatic missions in the region.

Just to be safe, I'll wait for Nattawut to finish standing trial for being a rioting gang leader before I consider applying for the position. If that animal is ever safely locked behind bars, it would encourage others to compete for the role, to be sure.

[sriracha john]

Pirates hijack Thai fishing boat off Somali coast

Kuala Lumpur - Pirates have hijacked a Thai fishing boat with 16 crew members off the coast of Somalia, bringing the number of pirate attacks in the troubled region to 95 this year, a maritime watchdog said Wednesday.

The vessel, which was seized Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden, had made a distress call late Monday as it was being chased by pirates in two speedboats, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.

However, the phone line got cut. The Thai boat was heading for the Middle East, said Choong. He said the fate of the crew members remains unknown.

Choong said piracy activities continued to increase in the area due to a lack of security. Earlier Tuesday, an Iranian bulk cargo carrier with 25 crew members was seized in the area. On Wednesday, Somali pirates seized a Greek bulk carrier with 25 crew on board. The recent incidents bring the number of attacks in Somali waters this year to 95, with 39 ships hijacked.

Despite increased patrols by a international naval forces, attacks have continued to rise in waters off Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991.

- DPA / 2008-11-19

[sunreader]

These Somalians are having a laugh aren't they?

"shall we go for the oil tanker carryng $100,000,000 worth of oil or the Thai fishing boat with the prawns?"

Maybe they are hungry?

Who would pay the ransom?

Captain Somchai?

[animatic]

These Somalians are having a laugh aren't they?

"shall we go for the oil tanker carryng $100,000,000 worth of oil or the Thai fishing boat with the prawns?"

Maybe they are hungry?

Who would pay the ransom?

Captain Somchai?

Prawns for dinner

Oil for the next days lobster tail brunch.

I suspect taking that oil tanker was REALLY over-reaching the hand.

Gonna git slapped hard shortly.

[Thai at Heart]

These Somalians are having a laugh aren't they?

"shall we go for the oil tanker carryng $100,000,000 worth of oil or the Thai fishing boat with the prawns?"

Maybe they are hungry?

Who would pay the ransom?

Captain Somchai?

Prawns for dinner

Oil for the next days lobster tail brunch.

I suspect taking that oil tanker was REALLY over-reaching the hand.

Gonna git slapped hard shortly.

Gonna get slapped VERY hard VERY shortly I think

Somali pirates attack Indian warship in latest brazen attack Headline

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...zen-attack.html

[007]

Captain Jack Sparrow and friends are getting out of hand in Somalia.

What is a Thai fishing boat doing all the way over there anyway?

And under a Kiribati (=Micronesian) flag??

[007]

Captain Jack Sparrow and friends are getting out of hand in Somalia.

What is a Thai fishing boat doing all the way over there anyway?

Fishing for oil I suspect.

Thai captain to navigator Somchai: "We're going to Dubai to fish for oil sardines. Can you read sea maps, use a compass...?" Erh..., no, but I'm using the latest skin-whitening cream and know all about Thai soaps." Captain: "All right then..."

[Gary A]

The British and US governments are now suggesting that merchant ships arm themselves. It's past time to blow some of those little speedboats out of the water.

[WAERTH]

Captain Jack Sparrow and friends are getting out of hand in Somalia.

What is a Thai fishing boat doing all the way over there anyway?

And under a Kiribati (=Micronesian) flag??

No Kiribati is a sovereign nation in its own right. So is Micronesia ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati

Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federated_States_of_Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia, is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea.

Maybe this is what confused you:

The Federated States of Micronesia are located in the region known as Micronesia, which consists of hundreds of small islands divided in eight territories. The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole.

[Cobalt60]

Well done the Indian navy. Maybe a few more countrys could play it tough, maybe a bomb or two on the Somali sea port, just as a friendly warning like !

[phaethon]

Once the Thais have eaten everything on the pirate boat and taken all the pirates' money at poker, the pirates will be desperate to release them. The only questions will be whether the pirates get to keep their own boat and how much sick-buffalo money they will have to send for the rest of their natural lives.

Pity the poor fools who try to scam Thais

Reported now that the Indian navy has sunk a pirate 'mother ship' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7736885.stm

[Kerryd]

It appears the pirates are worried that someone will try and rip them off ! From the part regarding the hijacked oil tanker:

"He did not state the amount to be paid but added: "We assure the safety of the ship that carries the ransom. We will mechanically count the money and we have machines that can detect fake money."

(Was this stated before or after they hijacked the Thai vessel ?)

[sriracha john]

Indian Navy sinks suspected pirate 'mother ship'

NEW DELHI – An Indian naval vessel sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden and chased two attack boats into the night, officials said Wednesday, as separate bands of brigands seized Thai and Iranian ships in the lawless seas.

A multinational naval force has increased patrols in the waters between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, where pirates have grown bolder and more violent.

The force scored a rare success Tuesday when the Indian warship, operating off the coast of Oman, stopped a ship similar to a pirate vessel described in numerous bulletins. The Indian Navy said the pirates fired on the INS Tabar after the officers asked to search it.

"Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers," said a statement from the Indian Navy.

Indian forces fired back, sparking fires and a series of onboard blasts — possibly due to exploding ammunition — and destroying the ship.

They chased one of two speedboats shadowing the larger ship. One was later found abandoned. The other escaped, according to the statement.

- Associated Press / 44 mins ago

[Scott]

So if they hold the Thai trawler's crew randsom, will Burma have to pay?

[sriracha john]

Indian Navy sinks suspected pirate 'mother ship'

The Indian Navy said the pirates fired on the INS Tabar after the officers asked to search it.

"Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers," said a statement from the Indian Navy.

Indian forces fired back

Small arms and RPG's to attack a modern frigate.....

INS Tabar

[animatic]

Only fools and horse...

These guys want to be paid in cash too..

amateurs, they could get more by wire...

I suspect guys will be falling out of the sky rather silently,

after this ship is scanned from space, and some REALLY

serious cats will hunt mice in a big playground.

100 million theft makes big BIG enemys dontchya know.

[dingdongrb]

Those dam_n pirates......

[animatic]

Cabin boy in chief

[benjamat]

Pirates hijack 8 ships in two weeks

Kuala Lumpur - Pirates hijacked a Thai fishing boat with 16 crew members off the coast of Somalia, the eighth ship to be seized in the area in the past two weeks, a maritime official said on Wednesday.

The boat was seized on Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur. Also on Tuesday, an Iranian bulk cargo carrier with 25 crew members was seized in the area, according to earlier reports.

Both vessels were heading to the Middle East when they were hijacked, he said.

The Thai boat, which was flying a Kiribati flag, but operated out of Thailand, made a distress call late on Monday as it was chased by pirates in two speedboats, but the phone line got cut off midway, he said.

The bulk carrier was flying a Hong Kong flag, but operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.

"There is no firm deterrent, that's why the pirate attacks are continuing. The criminal activities are flourishing because the risks are low and the rewards are extremely high," Choong said.

Tuesday's incidents bring the number of attacks in Somali waters this year to 95, with 39 ships hijacked.

Thai government spokesperson Nattawut Sai-gua said he had not been informed of the development. He said officials are checking with their diplomatic missions in the region.

Choong said 17 vessels remain in the hands of pirates, along with more than 300 crew, including a Ukrainian ship loaded with arms and a Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100m in crude oil.

Despite increased patrols by a multi-coalition naval force, attacks have continued unabated off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has had no functioning government since 1991.

A major Norwegian shipping group Odfjell SE on Tuesday ordered its more than 90 tankers to sail around Africa rather than use the Suez Canal after the seizure of the Saudi tanker MV Sirius Star on Saturday.

"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," said Terje Storeng, Odfjell's president and chief executive. "Unless we are explicitly committed by existing contracts to sail through this area, as from today we will reroute our ships around Cape of Good Hope."

The Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, connects to the Red Sea, which in turn is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. The route is thousands of kilometres and many days shorter than going around the Cape of Good Hope off the southern tip of Africa.

"This will incur significant extra cost, but we expect our customers' support and contribution," Storeng said.

- Associated Press / 13 minutes ago

So saling around the cape of good hope.

I am sure that we will all pay for this in increased oil prices.

<deleted> are the coalition navies doing, why arent they attacking these pirates home bases.

[animatic]

That may now be in the cards faster than we think.

A rubicon has been crossed.

It's just to decide how to stop it?

And how much force to send the right message...

Blowing up the ship and losing it, the concurrent pollution,

and loss of 100Mil in oil calls for definite subtlety

when using this Big Ass Hammer to drive back down this nail...

[geriatrickid]

AP reports the The Thai ship as follows;

Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, manager of Sirichai Fisheries Co.,Ltd. told The Associated Press that the hijacked Thai ship — the Ekawat Nava 5 — sailed from Oman and was headed to Yemen to deliver fishing equipment when it was hijacked about 380 miles (610 kilometers) from Eyl — where he said the pirates were believed to be taking the ship. He said he did not know what the hijackers' demands might be for the release of the crew — 15 Thais and one Cambodian.

I am surprised that when the thieves are captured they are released. Apparently, no country is willing to take on the task of prosecuting them. Well gee, if you don't do anything to these thugs, what do you expect?

One of the largest Norwegian oil carriers instructs its fleet to avoid the area altogether and to sail an extra 15 days around the horn of Africa instead of using the Suez canal. Add in the extra shipping costs, the extra costs of shipping insurance, and consumers are paying for this.

If Egypt loses that precious FX from Suez canal fees, who's going to increase the subsidies to Egypt? The USA can't, as it's on the verge of bankruptcy. If Egypt doesn't have the FX to subsidize fuel and food costs for its poor, there will be civil unrest and uprisings again. Not good for stability. Could even disrupt oil shipments or provoke another mideast war if radicals seize power.

Now they have a hijacked a chemical tanker and attacked a Chinese vessel. That's all the world needs; Chinese naval vessels going to the area to protect its merchant marine and a chemical spill that would wipe out fish stocks.

It's time to put political niceties aside and lay waste to these pirates. A few of them dead and returned back to Somalia in bits and pieces would send the right message.

[oevna]

Only fools and horse...

These guys want to be paid in cash too..

amateurs, they could get more by wire...

I suspect guys will be falling out of the sky rather silently,

after this ship is scanned from space, and some REALLY

serious cats will hunt mice in a big playground.

100 million theft makes big BIG enemys dontchya know.

Wire the money to what bank? Somalia doesn't have banks. They don't even have a government.

These pirates aren't big enough players to rely on foreign banks to protect them. They are skimming off pennies compared to what they could be getting away with, but they don't need much to live like kings in Somalia. These guys know exactly what they are doing.

However, they went too far with the MV Sirius Star, and they are about to get the smackdown like they have never seen. Much more than what just happened with that Indian war ship. Just watch.

-oev

P.S. I am afraid to even bring this up, but I think we will probably see some hostage executions as the international community starts to turn the screws to them. My wishes are with the hostages and their families for their safe return.