Russian special forces in dawn raid on oil tanker pirates [Archive]

NutLoose

7th May 2010, 15:24

:ugh:

BBC News - Russia frees Somali pirates captured in Gulf of Aden (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8667640.stm)

Russia frees Somali pirates captured in Gulf of Aden

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47787000/jpg/_47787112_009233327-1.jpg Forces on the Marshal Shaposhnikov freed the captured tanker

Russia has released Somali pirates captured during the dramatic rescue of a Russian oil tanker earlier this week. The Russian defence ministry said the gang was freed because of "imperfections" in international law.
Russia initially said the 10 pirates would be taken to Moscow to face criminal charges over the hijacking.
The Moscow University vessel was seized on Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden, off Yemen, as it sailed for China, carrying crude oil worth $50m (£33m).
Russian forces boarded the ship a day later, freeing the 23 Russian crew who had locked themselves in a safe room after disabling their ship.
One pirate was killed during the gun battle that ensued.
But the pirates were released because of "an incomplete international legal basis" to keep them detained, Col Alexei Kuznetsov was quoted by Russia's Interfax news agency as saying.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47528000/gif/_47528297__47020907_somalai_gulfaden_020110-1.gif
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Russia is a signatory, gives sovereign nations the right to seize and prosecute pirates.
But some countries have been reluctant to do so because of concerns of what to do with the pirates after their jail terms are up.
Asked why Russia released the pirates, Col Kuznetsov told the Associated Press news agency: "Why should we feed some pirates?"
'Broken promises'
The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, and the Russians, Europeans and Americans have all deployed navy forces in the region after a growing number of attacks by pirates on commercial vessels.
But suspected pirates are often released because they are not caught in the act, the BBC's East Africa correspondent Will Ross says.
The European Union's anti-piracy force said it had come across 50 groups of suspected pirates in the past couple of months. The young men, in small boats with weapons and ladders, were clearly not out on innocent fishing trips but in all cases their boats and equipments were destroyed and the men released after being disarmed, our correspondent reports.
There are more than 100 suspected pirates in custody, either awaiting, or already on trial in Kenya, which borders Somalia.
But the process is slow - lasting up to a year - and costly.
Kenya has said it wants to review agreements with the EU, the US, Britain, Canada, China and Denmark to prosecute pirates because some of the countries have failed to deliver on their promise of financial aid.
In the Seychelles, some 38 Somali men are awaiting trial in prison - making up 10% of the country's entire prison population.
Suspected pirates have also been taken to the US, France and the Netherlands, among others, for prosecution.
But unless an international solution is found, many more pirates will be released and the deterrent lost, our correspondent says.

OFBSLF

7th May 2010, 16:52

Actually, I think they should let the Somali pirates go. But only after connecting their necks to a short rope that is tied to a high mast.

steve_oc

7th May 2010, 21:44

Walking the plank is a traditional method of releasing pirates...

Razor61

8th May 2010, 01:08

So the French, Dutch, USA and Russians all assault the ships with pirates holding their nationals hostage, what do we do? Shadow the ships (and yacht) and let it go with the hostages onboard... or just circle around doing nothing.

redsetter

8th May 2010, 12:15

All the reports I read said that the Russian crew had shutdown the engines, locked themselves in a safe room, and communicated situation to their Navy. So likelihood of crew casualties during assault was known to be minimal. That's a slightly different scenario from the usual case where pirates hold the crew as hostages.

onetrack

8th May 2010, 12:46

The Rooskies are becoming real wuss's. They must have been to too many CA, flower-power, love-ins. Whatever happened to? .... "Somali pirates shot trying to escape Russian captors. No survivors...." :rolleyes:

Benzimra

11th May 2010, 09:49

Captured pirates likely dead

MOSCOW - A GROUP of Somali pirates captured by the Russian navy in the Gulf of Aden and then released are likely dead after failing to reach the shore, a top Russian defence source said on Tuesday.

The 10 pirates were captured last week after seizing a Russian oil tanker but were then unexpectedly released, with Russian officials saying there was insufficient legal basis to keep them in detention.

'According to the latest information, the pirates who seized the 'Moscow University' oil tanker failed to reach the shore. Evidently, they have all died,' the source was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

The Interfax news agency said after their release the Russian navy put the pirates in a boat some 300 nautical miles (556 kilometres) offshore, removing all weaponry and navigational equipment from the vessel. -- AFP

Alls well that ends well

Archimedes

11th May 2010, 09:56

The 10 pirates were captured last week after seizing a Russian oil tanker but were then unexpectedly released, with Russian officials saying there was insufficient legal basis to keep them in detention....

...The Interfax news agency said after their release the Russian navy put the pirates in a boat some 300 nautical miles (556 kilometres) offshore, removing all weaponry and navigational equipment from the vessel

Translation - they were set adrift in a boat and used for target practice.

Did anyone really think the Russians were going just to let them go in complete contravention of their SOPs for the last, oooh, 600-odd years? They've merely appreciated that the current media environment demands that the poor pirates die in a tragic accident away from the ship, rather than being shot and dumped overboard...

Rule one of international relations - Don't :mad: with the Russians...

SASless

11th May 2010, 13:29

The Interfax news agency said after their release the Russian navy put the pirates in a boat some 300 nautical miles (556 kilometres) offshore, removing all weaponry and navigational equipment from the vessel.

A noble gesture I must admit!

A very Christian approach to the problem (ala HMS Bounty that is!)

Neptunus Rex

11th May 2010, 13:59

Captain Bligh sailed 3,600 nm in 47 days, to reach Timor, in what is one of the greatest feats of survival and navigation in nautical history. In his open, 7 metre boat, he had a sextant, a pocket watch but no charts. He saved all but one of his 18 crew.

In comparison, these pirates had less than a tenth of that distance to go and had only to steer west to ensure landfall. Rank amateurs. The next lot should make sure they take round-trip fuel!

Of course, any leaks in their boat would not have helped.

S78

11th May 2010, 17:17

Did Ivan let them step on board the boat or drop them from the deck of the warship whilst travelling at speed?

"oops, missed. NEXT!"

Guess the Somalis will steer clear of anything with a Russian flag for a bit....

parabellum

12th May 2010, 21:06

Just wondering, did their rubber boat have an engine? Did the Russians leave any petrol in it? - Maybe just enough to last for half an hour? Did the Russians leave a timed charge concealed in the rubber boat?

onetrack

13th May 2010, 07:37

One could almost certainly guarantee, that the Rooskies took the cuffs off... patted them on the back..... lowered them into their boat....... waved them off........ then, once they were 200m out....... used them for target practice, for the 37mm deck cannon....... :suspect:

air pig

13th May 2010, 08:55

Whatever the Russian system of dealing with pirates, don't think it will be happening a second time, but then again there are a lot of stupid people in this world.

Double Zero

13th May 2010, 11:38

Ideally, and I agree this might be more dfficult to arrange, one of them could have lasted just long enough to tell his chums...

At the current rate of success, why don't we withdraw our ship/s and give a contract to the Russians - everyone happy ! Well unless one's a pirate.

air pig

13th May 2010, 16:11

I'm surprised the Russians haven't used the old 'Q' ship idea, get 'em close and then open up with all guns blazing, couple of Phalanx type CIWS would really ruin someone's day. :E:E:E

Agaricus bisporus

13th May 2010, 19:00

Isn't it a sad reflection on our collective prejudices (not to say bigotries) that we seem to assume that the underhand and maverick Russians, despite their statements in line with International Law and all evidence to the contrary, have bombed, dropped, sunk, drowned or shot those evil bastards out of the water?

We all know what we'd like them to have done, we'd all applaud them for hours had they done it, but isn't it sad that we Westerners (who are vastly the majority here) have so lost confidence in our own Navies' politically incorrect pansiness that we resort to hoping the Big Brutal Bear will do our wet work for us?

ps. message to Western Navies, as well as the Russians - bless-'em; shoot these scum, eradicate them, and root them out from their nests ashore too. History tells of many similar situations, none of which were ever solved by political spinelessness.

The only law Somalis recognise (and I've spent a bit of time amongst them) is Rule .303, and the more vigoriusly applied the more they heed it.

Make it Rule 40mm and it will be all the more understood, but the only way to stop this cancer on the seas is to do the traditional thing and land troops to destroy the nests of these vipers. Until we gain the confidence to do this innocent sailors will die, companies and insurers will be robbed (and in so doing finance more of this abomination).

So please Russia, if the wimpy West won't do it, will you?

Double Zero

13th May 2010, 19:28

Have you ever read the book ( forget the film ) ' Black Hawk Down ' ?

These people make the spine shudder, drug crazed zombies willing to send women holding children into battle, with PLENTY of RPG's & ammo.

When I suggested on this forum that the poor sods holed up all night under repeated attack would have done well with a few Harrier rocket passes to give the Americans a chance, ( they were supported by pretty constant fire through the night from light armed helicopters at great risk to themselves ) - I was attacked as suggesting a war crime !

So, I presume it's either 'nuke the bastards or they'll move along the shore a bit', as lately in The Times, or ' let them come to you ' as the Russians did with great results.

It should be pointed out that as far as I ( a yachtie & ex-Harrier tech ) know, Her Majestys' Ship Commanders should know they sometimes have to put themselves, their ships & crew & their cocktail party careers on the line in order to Do The Right Thing.

I doubt Kerrans on the Amethyst had his career much on his mind, and neither did Nelson, they just did the appropriate thing.

I'm damn sure the R.N. will be keen to absolve themselves of the disgrace of young chavs being captured by gits, so it's up to them to prove they're not just for cocktail parties...

The Q ship idea in one form or another stands out a mile, but maybe that would be considered naughty as in not being the nice fluffy target presented ?

Also don't underestimate one's enemy, they're drug crazed but not stupid; they use sat' phones to communicate, and have intel' on ship movements.

One would have hoped the various military could go a step better...

Agaricus bisporus

13th May 2010, 19:44

Sadly, OO, those poor sods in Mog were faced by a very angry and undisciplined rabble of urban militia who were by no means "drug crazed zombies" - far from it, (drugs were not a part of their culture) tho the women and children bit is accurate, and the Rangers had far better than "a few harriers" (though they had those too, yet they were seldom seen over the city) to help them but these were simply not deployed. The indecision and lack of decisiveness (not to say shillyshallying) of the US military there at the time had to be seen to be believed.

Unless my memory does me a great injustice there were present in Mogadishu at the time at least one of those lumpy, dark coloured C130s with odd bits sticking out of their sides. They used to drone around in circles all night long - I saw one let rip briefly one night and almost crapped myself at the noise even though it was shooting away from me. Apparently it took down much of a city block in about 3-4 seconds. Whether that was before or after the blackhawk incident I can no longer recall, though I think it was probably before.
US tactics became increasingly spineless (if that was possible) afterwards, as far as I remember.

Had rule .303 been established by Uncle Sam from the start (as the French, Pakistanis and Nigerians had done up until December 93 when the US Marines staged their ludicrous theatrical night-time assault onto the beach by the airport in the unopposed glare of the Klieg lights of the world's tipped off press) things would probably be entirely different now...

But what the hey? That's just hindsight. And as blindingly clear today as it was to all there at the time. Except UNOSOM, led by Uncle Sam.

Pontius Navigator

13th May 2010, 19:55

I'm surprised the Russians haven't used the old 'Q' ship idea, get 'em close and then open up with all guns blazing, couple of Phalanx type CIWS would really ruin someone's day. :E:E:E

I thought the Dutch already did that.

The pirates attack a ship which turned out to be the Tromp; big mistake.:}

Double Zero

13th May 2010, 20:13

A-B,

The book - which I have no reason not to believe as it gives huge, if not too much detail into names etc - relates that the drug 'kat' or 'Khat' is extremely popular, and the only 'culture' that exists in Somalia is to get as many weapons as one can then flit to whoever's winning at that moment.

These bastards can hardly bother to put two bricks together, as long as they've got an Ak-47 and / or RPG.

Now, ironically the warlords have money to put into civil developments - but as far as I can make out these are showpieces, and keeping the pleb's stupid enough to hijack tankers is good business for the odd one with more than 1 grey cell.

They have the sense to use Intel from apparently sufficient sources, and sat-phones in small boats ( as a yachtie, if that's true how do they keep locked to signal when a punter in a Gin Palace off Portsmouth can't apart from domes etc ? - I hope one realises that's not me, strictly sail & GPS receiver etc ).

It is obvious these bastards' will have uncomfortable attention which they've brought upon themselves, but no-one gets that desperate they have to murder to survive if they have any morals; let them have it, in the name of Darwin !

air pig

13th May 2010, 23:32

The Tromp is warship and if some pirates hasn't read his copy of Jane's then tough, but a merchentman with a system camoflagued, is far better, let them close and open fire. Never ever give a sucker an even break, in this case 20mm x 6000 per min is usually effective. :E:E

GIATT

14th May 2010, 08:27

To give you an idea of the scale of the problem and the utter contempt the pirates have you might like to have a look at these pictures (http://english.sina.com/china/p/2010/0227/306019.html) from the Chinese Navy.

Double Zero

14th May 2010, 10:39

Why does it not happen that ships open fire with 20-40mm stuff, first as warning shots then for real ?! Low depression angle on the guns ?

You should employ more yachties out there, we'd relatively easily identify a suspect...

Deploying a helo' is obviously dodgy within RPG range, but it seems only a positive 'no-pirates here' strategy including all the cluster bombs left will make a point.

There is the other side of me which says ' give them a means of income now that fishing has gone ' but that's down to diplomats etc, who seem to do bugger all for large pay, after all my g/f is a widow of one and daughter of another, and from what I hear there's never been a more useless bunch on this planet !

Meantime I'm all for the gatling guns ( & crews ) on everything & Q-ships - I did suggest the Container ship A La Atlantic Conveyor with Harriers lurking behind, sadly these would have to be American AV-8B's, as the UK 25mm gun failed before my sight on preliminary trials.

Yes, I'd be happy to take part if I could be useful !

Fareastdriver

14th May 2010, 11:58

give them a means of income now that fishing has gone

No shortage of fish in that part of the world. Too many pirates.

onetrack

14th May 2010, 12:10

There is the other side of me which says ' give them a means of income now that fishing has gone ' but that's down to diplomats etc, who seem to do bugger all for large pay
There's just one problem with that scenario. Somalis seem to have a major problem with the concept of working for a living, when they can acquire vast sums, more easily, by indulging in piracy, extortion and kidnapping.

When you're that bent, you can't lie straight in bed; then trying to instill a work and honesty ethic in these people, is equivalent to banging ones head against a brick wall..... :ugh:

I had a compatriot who toured most of Africa on the ground. On foot, by bicycle, by motorbike, and by car. He said his most enduring impression of most Africans, was that, the minute they sighted a Westerner, they were out to scam you, by any manner possible.... :suspect:

dead_pan

14th May 2010, 13:23

No shortage of fish in that part of the world. Too many pirates.

Now there's an idea. Perhaps we could gainfully employ them as fishery protection officers? They'd sure give those Japanese commercial (sorry, 'research') whaling ships one hell of a scare.

We shouldn't be so harsh on the Somalis. They, along with many (most?) other Africans, has been ridden roughshod over by the now-developed world. In the absence of any other suitable job opportunities, we shouldn't be surprised they put all those weapons we gave them to alternative uses.

Double Zero

14th May 2010, 15:23

Dead Pan,

I hope that was tongue in cheek !

The Somalis are as the poster above mentioned, incapable of work apart from waving a Kalashnikov or RPG around, and a visit from a U.S. CBG is long overdue.

I happened to teach a few Kenyans how to use Hawk cameras, their response was to nod & grin to everything I said but not understand a thing, no matter how hard I tried ( I was an apprentice BTW, in advanced years I might have been able to beat some sense into them, but doubt it).

- I was shortly afterwards given a rocket by Hawk project pilot Jim Hawkins for poor instruction, only to find that the guys we'd given drawings, manuals etc & instructed had been posted straight to a different non-Hawk squadron !

If humanity began in Africa, it's pretty clear why it got up and hot-footed it out of there...

dead_pan

14th May 2010, 15:48

00

The first bit was. My point was that the horn of Africa isn't exactly awash with opportunities for its citizens. Conversely, its offering good prospects for the various navies patrolling its seas - they've never had it so good...

incapable of work

The same could be said of a fair proportion of our populous.

Yamagata ken

14th May 2010, 16:38

The people of the Horn of Africa have precisely the same opportunities to better their lives as the rest of us. Hard work, the rule of law etc. They choose piracy.

Now there's an idea. Perhaps we could gainfully employ them as fishery protection officers? They'd sure give those Japanese commercial (sorry, 'research') whaling ships one hell of a scare.

Regardless of whether you approve of it or not, whaling is a legal activity which does not interfere with world trade.

tanimbar

15th May 2010, 11:07

You say, "whaling is a legal activity"; so was slavery. Both repulsive activities cloaked in legal niceties.

I won't be returning to argue the point, so don't waste your time responding.

Tanimbar

Double Zero

15th May 2010, 11:58

I'm with you Tanimbar, whaling is a game for the childish, suspicious & cruel; which is a label we've learned to put on Japan since Dec' 7th, 1941.

No B.S. is going to remove that; it's said the attack on Pearl Harbour was modelled on Taranto; difference is, chum, that we were already at war, not a sly back-stabbing move like the Japanese made.

There's also the fact that the Japanese were extremely cruel to POW's - I met a pensioner who broke into tears as he related 400 nurses being marched off a beach then machine-gunned; so don't expect any sympathy from me re. the Atom bombs.

I will never buy anything with a Japanese ( Or German ) label on it.

DZ

Tourist

15th May 2010, 13:33

Double Zero

A quick glance at your last few posts makes it quite clear that you have a rather unpleasant BNP smell about you.....

so far we know that you don't like Germans, Kenyans, Somalis and Japanese.
Any more that you would like to add?

Double Zero

15th May 2010, 16:10

Tourist,

The ony unpleasant smell abut me is from last night's curry.

I have lived in France but don't call them 'Cheese eating surrender Monkeys' ,( copyright the excellent Simpsons ).

I have tried to teach Africans on aircraft systems with an open mind, have you ?

I don't give a toss about colour of skin, but I do draw a line at people getting control of arms then shooting themselves and anyone in range to bits !

The Somali's are just begging for Darwin at an accelerated rate...and I wouldn't touch the BNP with a disinfected barge-pole, one of the greatest laughs I had in France ( Burgundy ) was when our skipper, who spoke like a native, was apporoached by the French eqiuvalent of BNP, who asked him for support in kicking these foreignours out !

We couldn't recruit French people for any money ( and it was quite good ) as they know how to live, it seems we Brits only know how to fight.

I did get a wonderful long balloon flight out of it which raised severe American racist worries ( I thought it was a nice day out in glorious countyside ), but that's a whole different story in itself.

DZ

Fareastdriver

15th May 2010, 20:22

I thought we were discussing pirates.

Fubaar

15th May 2010, 22:59

Where did the Japanese machine gun 400 nurses on a beach? Not downplaying the horror of the incident in any way, but the atrocity you refer to sounds like Banka Island where 20 Australian nurses were machine gunned in early 1942 (and one, Sr Vivian Bulwinkel, survived).

NLA Australian Newspapers - article display (http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/972105)

You do your argument no favours overstating the scale of the massacre.

As for Somali pirates... they should take a page from history and do a no hold barred carbon copy of what was done to the Barbary pirates quite some years ago now.

NutLoose

16th May 2010, 02:02

No B.S. is going to remove that; it's said the attack on Pearl Harbour was modelled on Taranto; difference is, chum, that we were already at war, not a sly back-stabbing move like the Japanese made.

The nagging thing here though is the USS Ward actually sank a Japanese Submarine just outside the harbour zone before war was declared and before the attack... Never sat comfortable with that fact, but totally off topic anyway.

In the hours before dawn, U.S. Navy vessels spotted an unidentified submarine periscope near the entrance to Pearl Harbor. It was attacked and reported sunk by the destroyer USS Ward (DD-139) and a patrol plane. At 7:00 a.m., an alert operator of an Army radar station at Opana spotted the approaching first wave of the attack force. The officers to whom those reports were relayed did not consider them significant enough to take action. The report of the submarine sinking was handled routinely, and the radar sighting was passed off as an approaching group of American planes due to arrive that morning.

The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941 (http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq66-1.htm)

Low Flier

16th May 2010, 07:16

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There was also an interesting article in The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-you-are-being-lied-to-about-pirates-1225817.html) last year.

Double Zero

16th May 2010, 07:45

Fubaar,

I am reporting what a chap covered in medals said to me as he broke down, on the train after a 'do'.

I'm pretty sure I have heard of the atrocity mentioned, elsewhere.

Back to Somali pirates, people are going to get seriously P'd off with their antics, if I were an insurance broker I don't think I'd take their future's on, if a 'security expert' I might be tooling up & spending more on advertising !

Even these dim gits must realise the next ship they go for may be flying a small yellow flag - ' Q '-...

cazatou

16th May 2010, 10:02

mra4eng

Perhaps it was the "former Para" with the dodgy VC and 60 years worth of other medals who keeps appearing on Remembrance Day Parades?

parabellum

16th May 2010, 10:40

BANGKA ISLAND MASSACRE (St. Valentine's Day, February 14, 1942)
On board the liner SS Vyner Brooke (Captain R. E. Borton, OBE) named after its onetime owner Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, and in peacetime had sailed between Singapore and Kuching, were 65 Australian Army nurses of the 2/10 and the 2/13th Australian General Hospitals in Singapore who, together with other civilian women and children, made up the 330 persons being evacuated from the city. In the Banka Strait, a narrow strip of water between the islands of Bangka and Sumatra, the Vyner Brooke was bombed and sunk by Japanese planes. A few lifeboats managed to reach the mangrove lined shore of Bangka Island. On advice from some islanders they were advised to give themselves up to the Japanese as there was no hope of escaping. That night another lifeboat arrived on the shore containing between 30 and 40 British servicemen from another ship sunk earlier. The civilian women, some nurses and children, then set out to walk to the nearest Japanese compound to give themselves up. When the Japanese arrived at the beach the men and women were separated, the men were marched into the jungle, never to be heard of again. The soldiers returned and forced the remaining 22 nurses to wade out into the sea. There, in waist deep water, they were machined-gunned to death, leaving only one survivor, Sister Vivian Bullwinkle, who later managed to reach the island's Japanese Naval Headquarters where she was put to work in the hospital. For over three years she kept the secret of the massacre to herself and a few friends. To speak openly about it would have been a certain recipe for execution. Of the 65 nurses from the Vyner Brooke, 12 had drowned, 21 shot in the water at Radji Beach and 32 had gone into prison in Muntok before being shipped to Palembang in southern Sumatra to serve three-and-a-half years of privation and punishment as prisoners of war. Sadly, only 24 survived the war. (Sister Bullwinkle died in Perth, Western Australia, in 2000, aged 84).

Double Zero

16th May 2010, 11:12

Thanks for that, though the numbers are significantly different; note the men marched away who were never heard of again.

I read & write History, unlike the people having a go at me.

Let me put it in simple terms; would you rather stay in my figurative prison camp, or a Japanese one ?!

I say again, I've heard mention of this atrocity before, and the chap I was talking to was no Walt, you and I aren't worthy to lick his boots even if he did get figures wrong ( my fault entirely if that proves to be the case ).

DZ

WE Branch Fanatic

16th May 2010, 11:59

Without wanting to add to the personal abuse on this thread, I think some of the comments here are frankly ridiculous.

Double Zero

You cannot tar all Kenyans, or all Africans, with the same brush. Many years ago one of my Engineering lectuers commented that he had worked in Kenya, and was demoralised when her returned to teach in the UK - due to the lack of willingness to work/learn. Whether you intended it or not, your comments sound quite racist...

As to the Japanese and Germans, everyone knows of the appalling acts carried out in WWII by both nations, and Japan has never acknowledged responsibility. Not sure why this is being discussed here....

yamagata ken

Are you having a laugh? People in the Horn of Africa have the same opportunities are us in the developed world? Is that what you think? And you say the Somalis have opted for piracy - what, all of them? No Somalis suffer because of pirate attacks against World Food Programme or other ships then?

Isn't Somalia a failed state, and the current piracy is a symptom of the anarchy and chaos there? Certainly the senior naval figures at the recent IONS meeting think so (http://www.asdnews.com/news/27928/Anti-piracy_efforts_treat_symptom,_not_disease:_navy_leaders.htm) :

ABU DHABI, May 13, 2010 (AFP) - Navies can intercept Somali pirate skiffs and foil hijackings but fighting waves of attacks at sea will not solve the problem, which is rooted in instability on land in Somalia, naval leaders say.

Anti-piracy efforts "will not actually resolve the base problem of why piracy is occurring ... That solution lies in the stabilisation" of Somalia, Commodore Bob Tarrant, director of Britain's Royal Navy staff, told AFP at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in Abu Dhabi.

"The symptoms (piracy) we're seeing now off Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, are clearly an outcome of what's going on on the ground" there, said Australia's navy chief, Vice Admiral Russell Crane.

"As sailors, we're really just treating the symptoms," not the root of the problem.

Razor61

So the French, Dutch, USA and Russians all assault the ships with pirates holding their nationals hostage, what do we do? Shadow the ships (and yacht) and let it go with the hostages onboard... or just circle around doing nothing.

Well, sometimes, that does work. See: HMS Chatham Forces Release of Pirated Dhow (http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/surface-fleet/type-22-frigates/hms-chatham/news/hms-chatham-forces-release-of-pirated-dhow/*/changeNav/6568)

So you say the French used special forces to assault a pirate held yacht. The USS Bainbridge towed a liftraft 25 yards astern, then when the hostage jumped clear the pirates were engaged, by Special Forces snipers (SEALs) who had spent hours setting up. The Russian and Dutch Navies used Marines to recapture ships were the crew were locked in safe compartments, in other words, no hostages were involved. I think you are talking about this incident (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/6560063/Royal-Navy-watched-helpless-as-pirates-kidnapped-yacht-couple-Paul-and-Rachel-Chandler.html).

Can anyone see any difference here? Perhaps the difference between a warship and a RFA? No special forces? Two vessels on two different courses? Hostages held, on a tiny boat full of fuel and other stuff that burns? Was Wave Knight right, or should they have attempted to take out the pirates with GPMG, Mingun, and maybe even 30mm fire? Perhaps the person who responded on the Times website and advocated that the pirates could be engaged by riflemen (sic) and the hostages rescued by swimmers (sic) was right? Or perhaps not.

This incident (http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/t=137878/postdays=0/postorder=asc/start=0.html) was discussed at length on ARRSE, and as noted there, it was the media making a story out of nothing. Sadly, most of the public seem to be unable to use their brains and think everything is as simple a clear cut as the media likes to pretend. Much of the media coverage is politically driven crap by tenth rate hacks like Max Hastings who don't even bother to check basics.

Low Flier

16th May 2010, 13:31

Anti-piracy efforts "will not actually resolve the base problem of why piracy is occurring ... That solution lies in the stabilisation" of Somalia, Commodore Bob Tarrant, director of Britain's Royal Navy staff, told AFP at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in Abu Dhabi.

"The symptoms (piracy) we're seeing now off Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, are clearly an outcome of what's going on on the ground" there, said Australia's navy chief, Vice Admiral Russell Crane.

"As sailors, we're really just treating the symptoms," not the root of the problem.

Well put.

There are three stages needed to deal with the problem.

The first is to impose an IMO-backed ban on the payment of ransoms. The insurance companies are lucratively stoking the problem by handing out millions in ransom payments. Of course this is highly profitable for them as they claw back every penny, and a lot more, in elevated premiums.

The second is for the world maritime community to provide a fisheries protection patrol service for the whole of Somalia's EEZ. Interdict foreign 'pirate' trawlers. Arrest the crews and hand them over to the Somali Courts for trial and sentencing. Interdict the dumpers of toxic waste. Arrest them too.

Thirdly, and only when the other two conditions have been met, adopt a Russian style kick-arse military posture to deal with *every* case of ship hijacking.

Romeo Oscar Golf

16th May 2010, 14:04

I'm with your third stage LF. The first two are optional.

onetrack

16th May 2010, 14:28

Arrest the crews and hand them over to the Somali Courts for trial and sentencing

You gotta be kidding us, right?? WHAT Somali courts?? They don't even have a workable Govt, the place is just borderline anarchy. The country is just permanently racked with civil war, split into 3 warring quasi-independent states, and any courts that might still be working, are administering Sharia Law. If a Sharia Law court views piracy as an Islamic-inspired act against infidels, do you really imagine there will be any punishment handed out??? :ugh:
The Somali pirates families had better get down on their knees and pray to their God that the Russians were very reserved in their treatment of the last bunch of pirates, because the world was watching.
If the Russians really had their way... they would not only blast every single pirate boat out of the water... they would set to, and plaster most of Somalia with a naval barrage, that wouldn't leave a single thing standing.

barnstormer1968

16th May 2010, 14:47

From the little I know of the pirates, I think we may be missing part of the story here.

Yes, the pirates ARE criminals, and yes they do this for a living.

They hijack many more ships/vessels than they need to per head of pirate, in terms of earning enough money to live,or even live well. So, this can discount the theory they hijack, as there primary living of fishing has been destroyed by oil slicks from Western companies (the pirates like to tell us it's OUR fault they do it).

The cost of living in the region is very cheap compared to ours, yet many pirates pull in more cash per annum than a UK GP would, so it is not just to get out of poverty.

Another point often glossed over or missed, is that many of the hijacked crew do not put up any resistance. Why could this be?

If we discount many crews from western/Russian or USA ships (as these fight back), why would the crew not resist khat chewing ruthless pirates?

It is also true that vessels in the area could sail further out to see, or for virtually no expense fit anti piracy measures (such as steel plate running boards). This would make sense, as the pirates know where the vessels are at any given time (or where they are going) by using 'free' internet software to track movements.

We often talk of huge ransoms being given to pirates (and are rightly disgusted), but there is little press coverage of the insurance payouts for lost/hijacked vessels!

I think that if the major insurers could add a clause that hijacked vessels would not receive a payout for ANY losses, UNLESS they had taken all measure to prevent this happening (some of the above, plus say, no more than four hours extra sailing to avoid the coastal areas), then the hijackings would go down dramatically in number.

I am possibly being very coy here, but there are several rusty old buckets hijacked while sailing very slowly, and also quite close to the coast, and with no anti pirate defences. Oddly the crews of these vessels (of whom some may be locals) do not put up any resistance.

So, do some of these pirates have a good and legal way to better their lives, as per above?

Yes, it is simply a case of not trying to hijack a Russian vessel, but rather to have a half hearted attack on anything, and be caught in the act by the British:}

If I were a pirate, I would be doing that right now, and then asking for residence in the UK, with all the benefits that can bring. The Brits would take one look at me: A drug eating AK47 holding criminal and possible murderer, and have to let me in (on the grounds there are folks exactly like ME in my own country, who kill people):}:}.

Low Flier

16th May 2010, 14:47

WHAT Somali courts??

Take a look at the video in post#50.

Low Flier

16th May 2010, 15:07

From The Guardian 27th of April (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/27/somali-pirates-flee-british-hostages):

Paul and Rachel Chandler, who are both in their 50s, were bundled into a car yesterday when al-Shabaab insurgents moved into the pirate stronghold of Harardhere in the coastal region of north Somalia.

The Islamic group usually operates in southern and central Somalia but has shifted north in a possible attempt to crack down on piracy.

Maslah Yare, who leads the pirate gang that is holding the Chandlers, said the group fled into a forest to escape the militants after they moved into the town.

"Al-Shabaab militants are chasing us," Yare told The Associated Press.

The Chandlers were kidnapped in October while on a yachting holiday. The pirates seized their 38ft yacht in the Indian Ocean as they sailed toward Tanzania.

He said that pirates would abandon the Chandlers if the militants close in on them "because our lives are more important to us than holding on to them".

Ahmed Salad, a local businessman, said an advance team of al-Shabaab militants entered the pirates' territory in two vehicles on Sunday night after they forced out moderate Islamists from nearby villages. He said the militants later withdrew.

Another resident of Harardhere said the pirates had started to withdraw from the town to another pirate enclave called Hobyo.

"The town is nearly empty after the pirates have left it," said businessman Yusuf Arush. "It is calm but tense."

Drugs, alcohol and prostitution have thrived in Harardhere since it became a pirate stronghold. Such activities are opposed by al-Shabaab, an ultra-conservative Islamist militia that carries out lashings, stonings and amputations as punishment.

At present Somali pirates hold 15 vessels and more than 300 hostages.

onetrack

17th May 2010, 03:33

Another point often glossed over or missed, is that many of the hijacked crew do not put up any resistance. Why could this be?
It is because crews are NOT armed, and deliberately so, by ship owners...and the crews are instructed to offer no resistance to pirates, for fear of antagonising them, and suffering crew fatalities as a result.

The problem of arming merchant ships crews raises a lot of problems, including the racheting-up of pirates weaponry if they know a crew is armed. I consider a better idea is to have heavily armed escorts shadowing vessels, and pouncing on pirates the instant they show signs of piracy-like movements.

Low Flier - If the Somali Sharia courts were effective, piracy would be lessening, and the Somalis would be stringing them up. I'd suggest the Somali courts are soft on pirates, and are more concerned with local land and personal disputes, in line with Sharia Law. Remember, every country that operates under Sharia Law has a major twist towards savage retribution towards what we in the West would consider minor personal indiscretions... yet is prepared to let major crimes go unpunished, particularly if it's done in the name of Allah, and against the hated Westerners. I notice that they have no problem with accepting donated food, in sacks with an American flag on them, though..... :rolleyes:

Fareastdriver

17th May 2010, 08:23

Most ships seem to drive around the world with a Panamanian or Bahamas flag on the back so the outside observer would not know whether the shipping company was based in or London or Tokyo.

dead_pan

17th May 2010, 08:45

There are three stages needed to deal with the problem.

Your three stages are once again only dealing with the symptoms not the cause. This problem is going to go away until a stable government of sorts is 'installed' in Somalia which can police its own waters and apprehend any individuals engaged in piracy. Since the international community will have no appetite for this after their last disastrous involvement in the country, perhaps we could persuade a private military company to take on this challenge? Any takers? Blackwater?

SASless

17th May 2010, 10:51

Stage III is my suggestion....designed around the proper installation and use of my favorite Anti-Pirate device.

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_50cal-GAU-19_MG_Army_pic.jpg

Double Zero

17th May 2010, 11:06

I like your style !

In reality, cruise & merchant ships have tried ( for real ) such things as very powerful acoustic and high power water 'soft no-kill' 'weapons', but it seems only the real stuff will deterr the pirates...

Fareastdriver

17th May 2010, 12:42

Donkey's years ago I saw what must have been one of the last of the Liberty ships in Belize harbour sporting a Bofors like anti-aircraft gun on a raised foredeck. Piracy in the Caribbean was not unknown at the time so this was their answer.
I can forsee some Somali pirates highjacking a vessel. Sailing it down the Somali coast picking up hoards of extra passengers and then sailing it to Southampton. They would be met by an army of refugee groups and Legal Aid lawyers and in no time they would be set up in a house with free furniture, TV and lots of money to keep going with.

Double Zero

17th May 2010, 14:54

Not if I got there first in my Kilo class sub' ( simply as it's cheaply available, nothing to do with the truly crap book of that title )or Sea Harrier with Sea Eagle- now let's get back to reality, which is mad enough; if you haven't read it already try the book - not film - 'Black Hawk Down'...

Barry Bernoulli

17th May 2010, 22:03

Ships were first armed with cannon in the 15th century. At this time, no disctinction was made in the design of military or merchant ships.

The merchant ship of choice in the 16th centry, the carrack, was armed.

The East Indiamen trading ships of the 17th and 18th centuries were heavily armed, able to slug it out with ships-of-the-line on equal terms.

The 19th century saw the development of the clipper, which relied mainly on speed to avoid piracy. Also, privateering was outlawed in 1856 through the Convention of Paris.

Armed merchantmen were used extensively in the 20th century, by both sides during WWI and WWII, in both defensive and offensive roles.

The current situation with piracy in not new or unique. It is just a different geopolitical climate in which it is has taken root. Having to fight to protect your international trade is an enduring historical reality. I can't see that changing anytime soon.

onetrack

18th May 2010, 02:57

The greatest single problem facing those who wish to wipe out Somali pirates is "legal restrictions". Those who wiped out piracy in the past had no such BS restrictions. Piracy doesn't warrant any legal protection... just a good dose of HE ordnance or many multiple rounds of large calibre bullets.

BBC - Somali pirates live the high life... BBC NEWS | Africa | Somali pirates living the high life (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7650415.stm)

BBC - Can Somali pirates be defeated?... BBC News - Can Somali pirates be defeated? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8371139.stm)

The answer to the last question shouldn't involve any navel-gazing or considerations about possibly causing pain, to some people not directly involved in piracy. All Somalis support piracy, directly or indirectly.

BBC - Inside story of a Somali pirate attack... BBC NEWS | Africa | Inside story of Somali pirate attack (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8080098.stm)

The simple technique of declaring war on Somali pirates will solve any "legal" ramifications. Under world-recognised Geneva Conventions, after a declaration of war, there are only 4 basic reasons needed to shoot to kill... otherwise known as the Rules of Engagement...

1. The enemy is wearing a recognised combatant style of dress or uniform...
2. The enemy refuses to stop when challenged...
3. The enemy fires on you...
4. The enemy is armed and threatening you...

Low Flier

18th May 2010, 08:25

Here we go again: "War on terror" "War on drugs" "War against want".

Ho hum. Always the war talk.

Never an understanding of the underlying problems.

The Americans tried that **** in Mogadishu. It didn't work.

Double Zero

18th May 2010, 08:39

Okay Low Flier, what's your brilliant answer then ?

Barry, Merchant ships were indeed armed, including East Indiamen, but never able to take on a fully tooled up Ship Of the Line; they were equipped to take on pirates, not warships.

Even the square rigged training ship 'Royalist' has dummy painted on gunports, as the East Indiamen did, but this time for the sake of looks rather than deterrence - her only armament apart from what the skipper may have tucked away is a saluting cannon !

And yes I have sailed her and a few others, not as a Cadet but being given a lift home after a hairy delivery trip in my little boat.

Merchant ships such as Carracks were always a little bit fatter & slower, for load carrying, compared to their contempory warships, once the two types began developing.

As for the Somalis, I've said it before & I'll say it again, time for a 'Q' Ship !

That's not any 'Western' theory, I'd be similarly p'd off at attacks on any ship or yacht from anywhere.

dead_pan

18th May 2010, 08:51

OO

Big fan of Clive Cussler are we?

The Oregon Files, books by Clive Cussler (http://www.cusslerbooks.com/oregon_files.asp)

Double Zero

18th May 2010, 08:59

I can't stand him, unreadable !

Try Patrick O'Brian or Star Trek II ( which has a surprising amount of literary & tall ship allusions )...

Low Flier

18th May 2010, 09:01

Double Zero, I've already answered your bizarrely expressed question, in post#57.

Double Zero

18th May 2010, 09:12

Nothing bizzare, except to a Somali pirate, who you're doing a good impression of.

Where exactly do aircraft come in, apart from my bright idea of an 'Atlantic Conveyor' style container ship with a gun & rocket equipped Harrier hidden away ?!

BTW I was on the Harrier II & FRS1&2 development team, so not speaking as a total novice ( total knob maybe, but that's a different subject !)...

barnstormer1968

18th May 2010, 10:25

Onetrack

In response to your quoting of me, and your subsequent response:
Quote:
Another point often glossed over or missed, is that many of the hijacked crew do not put up any resistance. Why could this be?
It is because crews are NOT armed, and deliberately so, by ship owners...and the crews are instructed to offer no resistance to pirates, for fear of antagonising them, and suffering crew fatalities as a result.

The problem of arming merchant ships crews raises a lot of problems, including the racheting-up of pirates weaponry if they know a crew is armed. I consider a better idea is to have heavily armed escorts shadowing vessels, and pouncing on pirates the instant they show signs of piracy-like movements.

I did say I was being coy in my post!!

I am referring to the fact that many ships are said to to be hijacked to order (read: insurance jobs) which is why they are traveling slowly, near to the coast, have crews who may know the pirates and and do not put up resistance. Clearly my mentioning of not including western, Russian or other such ships made no impact:)

I did not mention the crews of these ships are usually armed, but did think the other points had covered the subject:ok:.

Romeo Oscar Golf

18th May 2010, 13:16

Yes, it is simply a case of not trying to hijack a Russian vessel, but rather to have a half hearted attack on anything, and be caught in the act by the Britishhttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/badteeth.gif

If I were a pirate, I would be doing that right now, and then asking for residence in the UK, with all the benefits that can bring. The Brits would take one look at me: A drug eating AK47 holding criminal and possible murderer, and have to let me in (on the grounds there are folks exactly like ME in my own country, who kill people)Surely not BS1968.... BBC Report

Terror ringleader' to stay in UK The alleged leader of an al-Qaeda plot to bomb targets in north-west England has won his appeal against deportation.
A special immigration court said Abid Naseer was an al-Qaeda operative - but could not be deported because he faced torture or death back home in Pakistan.
Mr Naseer, 23, was one of 10 Pakistani students arrested last April as part of a massive counter-terrorism operation in Liverpool and Manchester.
Another student, Ahmad Faraz Khan, also 23, won his appeal on similar grounds.
The security services believed the men were planning to attack within days of their arrest, but neither student was charged.
'Stigmatised for life'
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, said she would not be appealing against the ruling, handed down by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

“ It's no way to conduct justice. If people have committed a crime, put them on trial ”
Gareth Peirce Students' lawyer
She said: "We are disappointed that the court has ruled that Abid Naseer and Ahmad Faraz Khan should not be deported to Pakistan, which we were seeking on national security grounds.
"As the court agreed, they are a security risk to the UK. We are now taking all possible measures to ensure they do not engage in terrorist activity."

clunckdriver

18th May 2010, 13:42

Dear God, what kind of brain dead justice system do you have in the UK these days? I thought Canada was the only nation stupid enough to make this sort of decision, I see we are not alone in our over the top PC crap,such decisions will come back to haunt us in the future, then Im sure those resposible will be safe in their gated comunity on a nice indexed government pension.

larssnowpharter

18th May 2010, 14:58

ABU DHABI, May 13, 2010 (AFP) - Navies can intercept Somali pirate skiffs and foil hijackings but fighting waves of attacks at sea will not solve the problem, which is rooted in instability on land in Somalia, naval leaders say.

Anti-piracy efforts "will not actually resolve the base problem of why piracy is occurring ... That solution lies in the stabilisation" of Somalia, Commodore Bob Tarrant, director of Britain's Royal Navy staff, told AFP at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in Abu Dhabi.

"The symptoms (piracy) we're seeing now off Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, are clearly an outcome of what's going on on the ground" there, said Australia's navy chief, Vice Admiral Russell Crane.

"As sailors, we're really just treating the symptoms," not the root of the problem.

I am not sure what the good Commodore means by 'stabilization'. Seems a bit of a nancy word to me but accept that the navies are dealing with the symptom of the problem.

Some have suggested looking back in history. I would agree and ask those who have this problem as part of there responsibilities to study the manner in which Pompey dealt with the pirates.

To quote Cicero:

"Pompey made his preparations for the war at the end of the winter, entered upon it at the commencement of spring, and finished it in the middle of the summer."

He rooted them out in their lairs, there was some 'stabilization' but he sorted the problem.

merch

18th May 2010, 15:14

barnstormer1968

"I am referring to the fact that many ships are said to to be hijacked to order (read: insurance jobs) which is why they are traveling slowly, near to the coast, have crews who may know the pirates and and do not put up resistance."

Do you have a source for this?

Most crews do not put up resistance have we have no fire arms and no training for combat. Before boarding there are various methods, as in the Bank line cargo ship, to deter pirates, but once onboard the best chance is a "safe area" for everyone to use, and shout for help via some comms in the safe area.

merch

Romeo Oscar Golf

18th May 2010, 15:29

Excuse me stating the obvious but Somalia is only one of many unstable countries in the world. We, whoever that may be, cannot impose any kind of democracy, and all that means, to any of them let alone specially chosen ones (Afghanistan comes to mind).
If anyone remembers the board game called Risk, then that provides the solution...word domination by one power. Then again pigs may fly.
So if we can't have any of the above I contend that we should take whatever measures are necessary to protect our livlihood, and if part of that "protectionism" is to hunt down and kill pirates, so be it. But then again I always was a softy.

NutLoose

18th May 2010, 15:44

New Government policy?????? I do hope so

Navy crew destroys pirate boats

A Royal Navy crew has destroyed two suspected pirate boats off the east coast of Africa.
The crew of warship HMS Chatham's Lynx helicopter spotted a larger vessel towing two smaller attack boats 150 miles off the coast of Tanzania, in the Somali Basin, on Friday.
A Royal Marine team, travelling in fast-boats, stormed the larger craft and found 10 Somalis and a large amount of fuel on board.
The suspected pirates were seen throwing items, including weapons, into the sea.
The two smaller attack boats were fitted with powerful engines and contained a considerable amount of fuel, the Royal Navy said.
The marines separated the smaller boats from the larger craft, before HMS Chatham and the Lynx helicopter used their combined firepower to blow up the smaller boats.
The 10 Somalis were left with only enough fuel in the larger vessel to return to Somalia.
Commander Simon Huntington, commanding officer of HMS Chatham, said: "I am extremely pleased that we have again successfully disrupted a suspected pirate attack group operating in the Somali Basin and prevented them from mounting attacks against merchant shipping."
The Lynx helicopter was taking part in a coordinated search with a EU Naval Force Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), operating out of the Seychelles, when it spotted the suspected pirates.

Karoo (http://www.karoo.co.uk/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=N0055451274187105325A&category=World)

:D:D

GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU

18th May 2010, 17:23

The Lynx helicopter was taking part in a coordinated search with a EU Naval Force Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), operating out of the Seychelles, when it spotted the suspected pirates.

Ah; MPA. Gapped ours, didn't we.

This seems very similar to what the RFS MARSHAL SHAPOSHNIKOV did. Pehaps Sambo the Sailor will make it shoreside this time, though.

Tonka Toy

23rd May 2010, 23:37

Fear not radders!!! The SEY MPA's maintain a degress of stiff upper about them!!!!

Fubaar

24th May 2010, 06:28

What the West is doing wrong with the pirates could be mirrored in recent events in Korea. The North torpedoes a South Korean naval vessel and kills 46 sailors.

After how many weeks, (or is it months?), the South announces something along the lines of "if you do that again, we'll retaliate".

C'mon, South Korea, let's get real. Such a pussy response to people like the North Koreans is akin to removing the excess fuel from a pirate mother ship and sending those naughty pirates home with just enough fuel (plus reserves) - and will be seen by the North Koreans in the same light as the pirates undoubtedly saw the RN response, as a total joke.

The pirates and the North Koreans understand only one common language and only one "King's Regulation" (to quote 'Breaker' Morant) - KR .303 (or it's NATO equivalent, KR 7.62).

We are past risking being perceived as a joke because we already are perceived to be a joke, both by the pirates and the North Koreans, because our leaders aren't willing to face them down - and if they (the other side) don't blink, (as they surely won't after the horribly mixed messages our inaction and pussy footing over the last few years have given them) to take the argument to its logical conclusion.

Andu

24th May 2010, 11:31

I think there a more than a few people out here in cyberspace who'd rather have seen the RN do what the Russians seem to have done with 'their' pirates - put 'em in an inflatable with no motor a very long way from the coast.

Tonka Toy

25th May 2010, 11:43

Not quite sure thats exactly what the russians did Andu. Perhaps the lead of the SEY CG cutter Andromache and Topaz and being prepared to fight should be followed.

parabellum

25th May 2010, 11:59

http://true-turtle.livejournal.com/85315.html

(The link below works!)

Subject: Russian Navy captures Somalian pirates.

? ???? ???? ????? 300 ??? ???? ?????... - "??? ???? ? ?????????". ????????, ???????. (http://true-turtle.livejournal.com/85315.html)

This is part of the videotape showing the Russian Navy commandos on theSomalian pirate ship.You may remember that the pirates captured a Russianoil tanker. The EuroUnion navy that patrols these waters could not interferebecause there could be casualties.

All explanations are in Russian and, with a single exception when a woundedpirate tells something in English, all conversations are between thecommandos - in Russian. Sorry if you don't understand Russian but thepictures speak for themselves.

The soldiers freed their compatriots, moved all the pirates to their own(pirate) ship, searched the pirate ship for weapons and explosives, and tookseven Somalian pirates. Then they left the ship and exploded it with allremaining pirates on it.