Interfax says the ship had 30 T-72

R

rock45

Active member
Found this not sure on the source.




Somalia: Pirates grab a Ukrainian ship

Reported here:
Pirates on Thursday seized a Ukrainian cargo ship off the coast of Somalia while it was en route to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, a maritime official told AFP.

The hijackers commandeered the Belize-flagged Faina to a yet unknown location, said Andrew Mwngura who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme.

"It was sailing from the Baltics and was expected in Mombasa on September 27," he added. "As usual, the pirates were armed on a speedboat when they seized the ship, but we do not know where they have taken it."
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Posted by Eagle1 at 9/25/2008 04:47:00 PM
Labels: Somali Pirates, Somalia

Comments (4) | Trackback

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don't know where they took the ship????

don't they have gps devices on them, and if not why not.
baronger | 09.25.08 - 6:40 pm | #
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Interfax says the ship had 30 T-72s and spares for armored vehicles on board.
russiannavyblog | Homepage | 09.25.08 - 7:29 pm | #

Link to full story
http://www.eaglespeak.us/2008/09/somalia-pirates-grab-ukrainian-ship.html
 
U.S. navy tanker under apparent pirate attack off Somalia

2008-09-24T182259Z_01_BTRE48N1F2I00_RTROPTP_2_NEWS-US-SOMALIA-PIRACY-NAVYnews.JPG


LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said on Wednesday it appeared pirates had tried to attack one of its big military oil tankers.

A security team aboard the vessel opened fire on two small boats near Somalia after they ignored warnings and pursued the ship, a U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman said.

"From all appearances it does look like it was a pirate attack and the incident is currently under investigation," he said by telephone from Bahrain.

He said the Military Sealift Command (MSC) oil tanker, the John Lenthall, which usually carries a range of fuels for the U.S. armed forces, was transiting outside Somalia's territorial waters when the incident took place.
In a statement the navy said a whole range of warnings were given before the security team opened fire on the small open skiffs which came within 400 yards of the tanker.

The skiffs then retreated and the navy said there were no reports of any casualties.

"This incident is clear proof that all mariners must remain vigilant," said Captain Steve Kelley, the commander responsible MSC ships in the region.
Somali pirates have in the past mounted attacks on merchant shipping from skiffs launched from so-called "mother ships" in the waters in and beyond Somalia.

Heavily armed Somali pirates have hijacked more than 30 merchant vessels of the Horn of Africa country this year, with attacks off its coast and the Gulf of Aden almost every day.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE48N67320080924

LOL! Pirates of the Somalian! What the hell is up with Somalia recently?

pirates.jpg
 
So no one has noticed a big ship in one of their ports with Russian built tanks and armoured vehicles rolling off it?

I am still amazed that:
A) These ships get insured for sailing through pirate infested waters unarmed.
B) The people organising these shipments havent decided to arm or escort these vessels, hell I am sure there are enough mercenaries floating around Africa that would jump at the chance for a paid working vacation on some of these boats.
 
Actually, I love this. We're 8 years into the 21st century, have technologies like satellite telephone, radars, space based surveillance, GPS... Yet there are still freaking pirates that operate on little boats and steal people's ships. And, and, tanks! :mrgreen:
 
What a windfall for the pirates though.
I wonder if they had a tip of to the contents of the ship?????????
 
I heard the Pirates are asking for a $20 Million ransom now. So what do you think they'll get? 20 Million or a Spetnaz Team?:9mm:
 
Yeah I think they are gonna find out that the Bear dosen't work and play well with Pirates or anyone else who pizzes them off. They have a tendency to break things.
 
Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan

Does anybody think the RPGs are onbaord still?




Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan

The BBC has seen evidence suggesting that the Ukrainian ship being held by pirates off Somalia is carrying weapons and tanks destined for South Sudan.
 A copy of the freight manifest appears to show contracts were made by Kenya on behalf of South Sudan's government.
Kenya has repeatedly said the weapons on board the MV Faina are for its army. A South Sudanese official said South Sudan had nothing to do with the tanks.
The MV Faina is currently surrounded by warships monitoring the situation.
Last week, the Somali government said the ship's owners were involved in direct negotiations with the pirates, who are demanding a $20m (£11m) ransom.
'Diplomatic embarrassment'
A copy of the MV Faina's manifest given to the BBC appears to confirm that the contract was issued on behalf of South Sudan, although the Kenyan defence ministry is named as the consignee.
Contract numbers for tanks, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns contain the initials GOSS, which military sources tell the BBC is a reference to the Government Of South Sudan.



Kenya could be seen as playing the same role as Cuba did during the Angolan civil war
Helmoed Heitman
Jane's Defence Weekly

This is an acronym commonly used in Sudan. But Francis Nazario, head of South Sudan's mission in Brussels, said he had seen the manifest and it did not prove anything.
"What I know is that we have nothing at all to do with the content of this ship, and the ship was not heading for South Sudan," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"I think if there was anything like that we would not hide it because constitutionally we have the right to do so, to bring arms from anywhere."
The Kenyan government has not yet commented on the document but it has been presented to the defence and foreign relations committee of Kenya's parliament.
Kenya has repeatedly insisted that the shipment was part of a programme to restock its military.
The BBC's Karen Allen in Nairobi says that this will be a huge embarrassment to the Kenyan government.
Although the import of military hardware is not illegal, it does put Kenya in a tight spot diplomatically, our correspondent says, not least because it was Kenya which helped broker an end to the civil war between South Sudan and the government in Khartoum in 2005.
Meanwhile, a Kenyan court has ordered the release of Andrew Mwangura, a spokesman for the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, who had been arrested after he said the tanks were bound for South Sudan.
Mr Mwangura was charged with making alarming statements and illegal possession of marijuana.
The MV Faina is currently moored off the coast of Somalia, close to the town of Hobyo. There have been conflicting reports about where its cargo was destined for since it was captured two weeks ago.
Military balance
Last week, Western military experts told the BBC that the tanks on board the MV Faina were going to Sudan and that the shipment indicated an arms race between North and South Sudan had begun.


They are reported to both be building up their forces ahead of a referendum on independence for the South in 2011. The military experts, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a previous delivery of tanks had taken place last November.
Helmoed Heitman, Africa correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly, also said he had reports that more than 100 T-72 and T-55 Russian tanks have been received by the southern Sudanese in recent months.
"If these reports are true, they could change the regional military balance," he told the BBC.
"Kenya could be seen as playing the same role as Cuba did during the Angolan civil war - when they armed the MPLA."
The experts said the tanks would most likely be dug in along Sudan's north-south border, with the tanks using their guns to protect military installations.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7656662.stm
 
"Russians don't play nice like the rest of us. It'll be interesting to see what they have in store for Somalia."-Redneck

What is your problem? What do you have against Somalia? You keep advocating like in the other thread that the Russians should destroy Somalia. These are pirates the Somali people have nothing to do with them and don't want them around just like the international community. These pirates and warlords came back in the backs of Ethiopian tanks and American jets. Thank the American government for getting rid of the Islamic Courts and bringing back the warlords and pirates, and yea also for installing a warlord government where the president is even a former warlord. Its crazy how people don't notice that while the Islamic Courts controlled Somalia, not one pirate attack occurred, the warlords all fled to Ethiopia, foreign aid was coming to Somalia without the aid workers fearing for their lives for the first time since 1991 and Somalis could go about their day without the fear of getting killed by gunmen.
 
The Islamic Courts were doing so well and seem so fair to everybody I wonder why the evil Americans would want to get rid of them? :bored:
 
I am not a big fan of the Islamic Courts myself, but one has to give credit where its due, they did bring semblance of order and stability while they controlled Somalia. The main reason the Americans with the Ethiopians got rid of the Islamic Courts was fear that they might establish an Iranian style or Taliban style regime in Somalia, Somalia is located at a very strategic location on the horn of Africa, 16,000+ ships pass those lanes, and the distance between the Yemeni coast and the Somali coast is very small and vulnerable for shipping. The Americans fear that if the Islamic Courts form Iranian style regime in Somalia it could seek to control that waterway the same way the Iranians control the straight of Hormuz. Also feared that this regime might become allies with American enemies such as Iran, Syria and such so the Americans wanted to install a puppet regime. Also Somalia is believed to have large unexploited oil reserves and Uranium reserves, so the American rather have a puppet regime. The Islamic Courts actually did better than anyone else since General Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991 as far as governing Somalia and bring stability.
 
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Getting back to the subject. Unless I have been misinformed, the Russkies are only sending one ship which pretty much rules out any real conflict arising from this incident. I am guessing that if the worst comes to the worst, the Russkies will just sink the ship, pirates, crew and cargo,... anything less is still possible.

I don't think that they are particularly worried about the cargo falling into rebel hands, but I'm pretty sure that they won't be paying any ransom (can anyone ever remember the Russkies paying a ransom?), and they do resent the pirates denting their pride which will undoubtedly have very severe consequences for them in the end.

The Russkies are not well known for their use of "finesse" in these matters, and the tend to cut straight to "the short solution" regardless of the possible consequences.

That's my bet.
 
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Crew

For the sake of the captured crew I would like the Russians to at least try and board the ship to save them. Next I expect them to drive the ship out and take control.

Killing a bunch of these pirate in their stupid boats wouldn't be a bad thing. Since they will only repeat the same thing again maybe someone should follow their boats back no wait nobody can do anything.
 
The Russkies may well just steam in, attach a cable runner to the anchor cable of the Faina and drag the ship out to sea where they are in complete control and away from prying eyes. If this happens, I don't think we might see this group of pirates alive again. They will either die on that day, or maybe later somewhere in the gulag, whatever happens, I feel that they will become an object lesson to future pirates.

If the Russkies are successful we will hear about it, if things go pear shaped, the ship will just be sailed or towed back to Russia, and nothing more will ever be heard.
 
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