30 Main Battle Tanks pirated. Crane wanted.

[lostexpectation]

so what the deal with south sudan, are they the ones fighting chad or is the another militant group, why would kenya a pro-american gov do anything to so dodge, who backs north sudan?

i know they said the arming for sucession.

[bormotello]

Not sure how it could embarass Russia as Ukraine sold the tanks.

Don’t worry, Thac0man is blaming Russia in everything bad happening in the world.

[Aggressor]

As I was talking about some time ago...

MOYOCK, North Carolina (October 16, 2008) – Blackwater Worldwide today announced that its 183 foot ship, the McArthur, stands ready to assist the shipping industry as it struggles with the increasing problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and elsewhere.

The dramatic increase of pirate attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden has led to parallel cost increases for the shipping industry. Shipping insurance has risen tenfold this year alone. With the added danger pay offered to crews willing to make the journey, pirate ransom demands that reach into the millions, and lengthy negotiations for hijacked ships, if left unaddressed the cost of the piracy boom to the shipping industry – and consumers buying their goods – will only increase.

“Billions of dollars of goods move through the Gulf of Aden each year,” said Bill Matthews, Executive Vice President of Blackwater Worldwide. “We have been contacted by ship owners who say they need our help in making sure those goods get to their destination safely. The McArthur can help us accomplish that.”

Some shippers have taken the step of arming their crews, or hiring private security to ride onboard cargo ships. Rather than having armed guards on a cargo vessel, the McArthur’s ability to accompany a ship and deploy helicopters to patrol the area provides a safer option for the shipping industry.

The McArthur was reconfigured and modified in 2006 and is now a Blackwater Worldwide Maritime Security Support Craft. The McArthur is a multi-purpose maritime vessel designed to support military and law enforcement training, peacekeeping, and stability operations worldwide. It is fully equipped with a helo deck and can store 4,100 gallons of helo fuel. Blackwater’s aviation affiliate can provide the helicopters, pilots, and maintenance required to support escort missions in the Gulf of Aden.

As a company founded and run by former Navy SEALs, with a 50,000-person database of former military and law enforcement professionals, Blackwater is uniquely positioned to assist the shipping industry in the Gulf of Aden and elsewhere.

The International Maritime Bureau estimates that more than 70 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January. As of October 15, 2008, 11 ships and 200 crew members were still being held for ransom.

[odie1kanobe]

Apparently.....



How does one go about getting into business with pirates?

Hang around with Jolly Roger and see what comes up.

[He3]

Asking price is down to $8 million now for the lot.

The market is gone to the dogs.

[Thac0man]

It seems to me that this is the ideal time for Russia to project its power - yet they send only one boat to the area to look at the US Navy penning in those that hijacked their trade.

This is a missed opportunity for the Kremlin in my opinion, and a huge one. They have been shown not to be an economic super power (mainly because they have failed wholly to develop their industrial economic base), they are not a political super power because they affect little outside of their own immediate geographic sphere and now they are coming up well short on force projection.

They could point missles at Somalia or even fly their long range bombers over the country, but that would only highlight the falacy of those weapons and their impotancy in everyday diplomacy. With not having a substantial segment of its still huge army tied down in any threatre - where is the Russian army, its Spetznaz, airforce and navy? Even the French managed a rescue of its nationals from Somaili pirates.

If the Kremlin wishes to use military power to re-establish Russias prestige, its doing a piss poor job. It is the preferance for the military path that has led the Kremlin to ignore broader economic development in Russia.

[odie1kanobe]

If the Kremlin wishes to use military power to re-establish Russias prestige, its doing a piss poor job. It is the preferance for the military path that has led the Kremlin to ignore broader economic development in Russia.

Russia claims to have the power but its doesn't. Their navy has chronic problems in old equipment or stuff that just keeps breaking down ....right way to project force when Tug Boats follow the fleet to see who has broken down. Yes they have new stuff but their equipment is miles behind the west.

[He3]

Prices everywhere are tumbling


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7871510.stm

Pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons have received a ransom and have left the vessel, reports from Somalia say.

The pirates seized the Kenya-bound MV Faina and its crew in September 2008.

They initially demanded a ransom of $20m (£14m), but reports suggest that a figure of $3.2m was agreed following months of negotiations.

[He3]

The saillors are on dry land, but where will the tanks end up?

But while the crew was put on view after its arrival in Mombasa, its valuable cargo, including 33 T-72 Soviet-era tanks, 150 grenade launchers, 6 antiaircraft guns and heaps of ammunition, were still on board. The Kenyan government has insisted that it owns them, and it said on Thursday that the weapons would now be offloaded and taken to Kenyan military bases.

However, the pirates and Western officials have said that the arms were destined for former rebels in southern Sudan, and that Kenya was only the transit point.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/wo...e.html?_r=1&hp