BS: West Africa Pirates

Subject: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 02:42 PM

Somali pirates have received more than adequate publicity at mudcat- so yesterday.

Dare I start a thread on pirates off Benin and other West African nations? Of course I may!
In the latest foray, pirates off the Benin coast boarded a tanker and sailed into yonder ocean off the Gulf of Guinea, with 23 hostage sailors. Jon Gambrell, Associated Press, Sept. 14, 2011.

Last month, with 20 attacks reported* Benin authorities announced that they were seeking to buy planes and ships to fight the pirates and might ask the United Nations for help.

*Suspected that there were more, but insurance companies do not report all occurrences.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 02:51 PM

So, what? Mudcat is here to provide equal opportunity to all thugs/terrorist/pirates/etc.? Just because one had a thread, why must there be one for another "pirate?"

Just...why?

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: gnu
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 02:56 PM

Just... because.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 03:05 PM

Gnu- exactly!

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 03:09 PM

Oh, yes, spread some more litter around, as if the Mudcat hasn't been dragged in the mud/crap enough over recent years.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 03:24 PM

You object to old style entrepreneurship and enterprise, kat?

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: gnu
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 04:59 PM

kat... who pissed in your cornflakes? I REALLY don't understand your problem with this thread.

Am I missin somethin? Please edify me kat.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 05:16 PM

Bt coincidence I'm presently reading Adrian Tinniswood's book 'The Pirates of Barbary'. My primary reasons for reading it include a general fascination with the Ottoman Empire (large parts of North Africa were once under Ottoman control) and because it provides the background for one of my favourite ballads, 'Captain Ward and the Rainbow'. Ward was a real person - an Englishman and mutineer who sailed into Tunis in 1605 and set himself up as a Barbary Corsair - building on a tradition that was at least a century old by then.

It would seem that piracy has been going on around various coasts of Africa for some considerable time.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Amos
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 06:21 PM

The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary". The term "Barbary Coast" emphasizes the Berber coastal regions and cities throughout the middle and western coastal regions of North AfricaÑwhat is now Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The English term "Barbary" (and its European varieties: Barbaria, BerbŽrie, etc) referred mainly to the entire Berber lands including non-coastal regions, deep into the continent. This is clearly the case in European geographical and political maps published during the 17-20th centuries.[1]

The name is clearly derived from the Berber people of north Africa. In the West, the name commonly evoked the Barbary pirates and Barbary Slave Traders based on that coast, who attacked ships and coastal settlements in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic and captured and traded slaves or goods from Europe, America and sub-Saharan Africa.[2] The slaves and goods were being traded and sold throughout the Ottoman Empire or to the Europeans themselves.

(Compliments of Wikipedia)

Piracy has an ancient role to play in generating ballads of all kinds, and is entirely germane to Mudcat's see.

The ballad known as High Barbary, for example, traces its piratical routes back to 1595.

A

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 06:38 PM

Do you mean roots?

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 08:31 PM

My apologies. I took Q's original post as rather flippant and it seemed this could turn into another one of "those" threads which have caused so much trouble. Obviously, that is not the intent.

That and I've just found out a certain painkiller has a nasty side-effect. Should be better in a day or two off of it!

kat (no cornflakes in this house:-)

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 09:39 PM

Excuses, excuses.

Threads that cause trouble? Who, me?

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 03:18 AM

An English couple from near here were attacked at a beach resort in Kenya this week.
The husband was shot dead, and the wife bundled into a boat and taken to Somalia.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 05:48 AM

Scum

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Amos
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 09:16 AM

Richard:

Why yes, no that you mention it. My fingers seem to be paying more attention to my ears than to my brain.


A

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 04:06 PM

New York Times, Sept. 14, 2011

"....the director of the Department of Marine Shipping in Cyprus, identified the vessel as the Mattheos I," with Filipino crew and Spanish, Peruvian and Ukrainian officers.
The vessel was trying to transfer some of its cargo to a Norwegian-flagged vessel. Pirates also boarded the second vessel, but ship's crew locked themselves in the engine room, and the pirates left.'
Lloyd's in London added the coastal waters off Benin and Nigeria to a high-risk category like that of Somalia's coast.
Somalia has no effective government, and Benin, which cannot police its coast. The pirates in Benin seem to be Nigerians who left Nigeria after a crackdown on oil theft and piracy there.

Two Panamanian registry ships were seized in late July; in all there have been 19 attacks this year, none in 2010.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: gnu
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 04:58 PM

Time for mini-guns fore and aft. Might knock down the insurance.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 06:30 PM

Civilian crews of merchant vessels are not authorized to bear arms to protect the ships.
There is a long history of merchant crews remaining unarmed.
Moreover, they are not trained in the use of arms.
If crew members are hurt in a resistance action, the suits against the owners of the vessel could well exceed in amount the ransom paid.

As noted in the other thread, oceans are wide, and cover by naval units is impossible.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 06:52 PM

In 2009, the U.S. Merchant navy comprised 422 ships and some 69,000 me.
The Greek merchant navy had some 3100 vessels of 1000 tonnes or more- I haven't found the number of men.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: gnu
Date: 16 Sep 11 - 03:04 PM

Aren't many vessels are registered in foreign countries to avoid taxes?

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Sep 11 - 06:46 PM

Some countries, like Panama and Liberia, have very low registry rates. Most companies in the shipping business take advantage of this "flag of convenience."
Ships plying between two American ports must have American registry.
A ship bringing oil from Venezuela to Texas will have a flag of convenience- it does not have to have American registry.

The hijacked ship had Cyprus registry. Cyprus requires that more than half of the shares of the ship must be owned by Cypriot citizens of by citizens of Member States of the EU or of the European Economic Area who "in the instance of not being permanent residents of the Republic will have appointed an authorized representative in the Republic of Cyprus or [other provisions about EU area membership].
In other words, true ownership could be vested in France, UK or other EU member state.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Sep 11 - 06:48 PM

of should be or-

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Teribus
Date: 17 Sep 11 - 04:05 AM

As pointed out by someone else the practice of "Piracy" in the Bight of Benin has been a problem for years, this is not anything new and in years past the threat in this part of the world was far greater than that off the Horn of Africa.

A London based company Marine & Underwater Security Consultants have been providing protection to Merchant ships for years.

With the offshore oil industry the Pirates used to have easy pickings, i.e. slow or stationary targets with low freeboard. Instances of attacks fell off dramatically when two shifts of heavily armed individuals who knew what they were doing were assigned to vessels and installations.

http://www.mandusc.com/services/maritime-security/on-board-security-teams

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Sep 11 - 03:20 PM

National laws generally forbid merchant ships from carrying weapons, which could subject crews to arrest in many ports.
NATO spokesman James Appathurai, UN mandate on use of force- " They can patrol. They ...can stop attacks that are happening, but what they do not do is then board the ship that has been hijacked elsewhere to try and free it." The U.S. Navy is similarly constrained. (Such action puts the crew in danger).

MUSC and other companies providing onboard firepower are constraned by both marine laws and shipping practice.
As the pirates have become more heavily armed, the problem is further complicated. Shipping companies put the safety of crews foremost.

Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General, 2011. Feb.- "The only truly successful way to address the problem in the long term is through a strategy that focuses on deterrence, security, the rule of law and development. Our common goal must be a sustainable solution."
Mr. Mitropoulos, International Maritime Organization (IMO)- "...This year [2011] we are resolved to redouble our efforts and, in so doing, generate a broader, global response to modern-day piracy. ..... We hope that our choice of theme for 2011 will provide an appropriate rallying point around which all those who can make a difference can focus their efforts."

In other words, there has been no endorsement of maritime paramilitary units such as MUSC, nor has there been any acceptance by major shippers such as Maersk.

In 2011, piracy off the African west coast has grown, and remains a danger off the Horn of Africa.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Sep 11 - 03:36 PM

Further to the above, "Former US Navy Seal arrested in Mozambique while attempting to reclaim pirated vessel."
Sept 17, 2011:
gCaptain, http://gcaptain.com/navy-seal-arrested-mozambique?31126

Arrested for illegal weapons possession. He is VP of global operations for Geeyside Group, an international risk management firm.
The objective... to free a boat from pirates. BBC report.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Teribus
Date: 18 Sep 11 - 02:47 AM

"Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General, 2011. Feb.- "The only truly successful way to address the problem in the long term is through a strategy that focuses on deterrence, security, the rule of law and development."

"In other words, there has been no endorsement of maritime paramilitary units such as MUSC"

The UN Secretary General outlines a four pronged strategy the first two of which (deterrence and security) are very much an endorsement Q.

Biggest mistake made with regard to Piracy was made by the European Union classifying it as a crime - Piracy on the high seas is not a crime it is an act of war and should be treated as such. Pirates when encountered should be killed on sight, their bases and harbours on shore should be raised to the ground.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: GUEST,Ebbie
Date: 18 Sep 11 - 02:58 AM

I should think it would be fairly difficult for bases and harbours on shore to be raised to the ground. :)

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Sep 11 - 01:21 PM

Aren't most structures raised from the ground? They can be razed to the ground with sufficient firepower.

Action against piracy is mostly governed by the Geneva Convention on the High Seas (1958) and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Neither define piracy as an "act or war."

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Sep 11 - 01:49 PM

An example of "Alice in Wonderland" situations regarding piracy.

In 2008, the British Foreign Office advised the Royal Navy not to detain pirates of certain nationalities as they might be able to claim asylum in Britain under British human rights legislation, if their national laws included execution, or mutilation as a judicial punishment for crimes committed as pirates. Sunday Times, as summarized in Wikipedia.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Teribus
Date: 18 Sep 11 - 03:52 PM

I do not believe that I stated that Piracy was an Act of War - I think I stated the opinion that I thought it should be treated as an an Act of War.

I think that the current Government has got round that particularly embarrassing piece of advice from the Foreign Office - They have just got rid of our Navy.

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 18 Sep 11 - 05:37 PM

Blow the scum out of the water!!

Subject: RE: BS: West Africa Pirates
From: GUEST,999
Date: 19 Sep 11 - 01:00 PM

. . . just after you find them.