Thread: Somali pirates should not attack Russian ships.

Я слышал неофициальную версию истории, что сомалийских пиратов были на борту когда корабль затонул. Как вы думаете? Правда или нет?

Somali Pirates capture a Russian oil tanker. Russian Navy commandos quickly free their compatriots and the tanker. They move the pirates back to their own ship, searching for weapons and explosives, leaving the pirates handcuffed to the ship.

The tanker was freed by another ship, "Marshal Shaposhnikov", this is "Admiral Panteleyev" ship.

should have sunk the pirate ship with the pirates handcuffed to it.

I thought that there were two tankers attacked!


EDIT: Yes i do see now that earlier in another incident pirates were set adrift supposedly, and perished at sea. The Somalis say that they were shot first though, but how would they know!

Originally Posted by sperk

should have sunk the pirate ship with the pirates handcuffed to it.

That's what the rumor is! Someone said that Pravda, if you can believe them, reported that they were sunk while handcuffed to their ship. I have not been able to find that report myself though. I have no problem with that if they were indeed pirates. But I did notice that in the limited footage of them, that most of them did not look like they were Somalis or were hardened bad guys.

You are so violent and destructive. Piracy is probably the only "business opportunity" that exists in their area. They have no other way of bringing in some money. What would you have done? Let your family starve to death? There is a VERY unfair distribution of income in the world. The pirates should be put in prison that's all.
If there was investment in the area and/or the possibility for these people to support themselves as farmers or workers, then the problem would disappear. The piracy is a sign of the incredible unfairness of the world.
The solution to the underlying problem is NOT to kill those who engage in piracy.

So, Hanna, you suggest seamen simply to surrender the ships to attacking parties without fight?

No. I think the companies that see the piracy as a problem should set up a joint fund for creating some lasting investment, schools and hospitals etc in the area where the pirates are based.

Then work with the elders and local people to offer them the benefits on the condition that no more ships are attacked.
If any more ships get attacked, then cancel something in the program etc.

Could work.... Killing the pirates won't have any more success than the "War on Drugs" etc.
As long as people are so poor that they have nothing to lose, they will continue.

They'd sooner fit their supertankers with seasoned professionals armed to the teeth. It's cheaper.

So Hana's solution is to pay criminals so that they will not steal from her. Perhaps we should put Hana in prison too, for soliciting crime.

I agree, those pirates receive someone's funding to buy fast boats, weapons, etc. They have to pay for the information about which ship under which flag is going to pass there and what's the cargo. It's organized crime and it won't help in the slightest if you pay them.

I said "build schools and hospitals" and create some genuine jobs there - not give them weapons and support their piracy.

I think it's a matter of whether you try to fix the symptom or the underlying illness.

These are desperate people who can't see any other option. Sure, they are ruthless and dangerous. But that is their ONLY way of making a few bucks. That whole area is lawless. Apparently they share what they get from the piracy with the whole area there, and are sort of "Robin Hood" figures to the local people - so they get their protection. A bit like some of the drug lords in South America.

They are not welcome to migrate anywhere, they have NOTHING where they are - and then there are these floating pots of gold, literally passing right past their area.
They are risking their LIVES every time they try to hijack a ship. Scores of pirates have gotten killed. I think they'd rather be farmers or industrial workers if that was a possibility.

Ok then I have another idea: Instead of securing America's oil supply in the Middle East; NATO and the UN can go in and clean up that area - organise a local democratic government and all things they say they want to do in the Middle East... At least on the Horn of Africa, they couldn't make the situation any worse than it already is. Some of the people might be quite happy to see them. They could set up some basic infrastructure and try to help the people there to get started with normal agriculture or industry. And at the same time stop the pirates.

But I guess the shipping industry isn't a big enough lobbyist to make that happen.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Apparently they share what they get from the piracy with the whole area there, and are sort of "Robin Hood" figures to the local people - so they get their protection. A bit like some of the drug lords in South America.

Yeah, sure And some day cows will fly too.

I think they'd rather be farmers or industrial workers if that was a possibility.

Yeah, sure And some day cows will fly too.

NATO and the UN can go in and clean up that area - organise a local democratic government and all things they say they want to do in the Middle East...

Yeah, sure. We all know how NATO organises local democratic governments ))) In fact, that's what they were trying to do in 1993. Epic Fail.
United Nations Operation in Somalia II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia