Obama’s pirate problem; Update: US crewmen regain control?; Maersk will NOT confirm; 1 pirate reportedly in custody; captain still being held?
Scroll for updates…Obama dodges a bullet…
It’s another Gird Your Loins moment for the Obama administration.
Somali pirates have now hijacked a U.S.-flagged ship with 20 American crew members on board – the first in “recent memory” according to military officials. The vessel is one of the DoD’s top shipping contractors. The vessel was taking humanitarian aid to Mombasa.
What will BO do?
So far, the White House response has been weak. Brian Faughnan says Obama needs to take a page from the Russian playbook.
Ed Morrissey wonders what DHS secretary Janet Napolitano will rename the problem? “A stowaway problem? On-demand course correction?”
Bucktown Dusty jibes that DHS has simply renamed pirates “Aquatic Parrot Trainers.”
Problem solved!
***
TigerHawk: This is a test.
ThreatsWatch looks at jurisdictional issues.
Background:
March 2009 – Boston Globe’s pictorial essay on the pirates of Somalia.
November 2008: Christian Science Monitor Q&A: Who are the Somali pirates?
***
Update: Fox News and AP reporting that Pentagon says US crewmen may have regained control of ship…
Update: Press conference w/shipping company official in Norfolk. The crew is safe. Spokesman will NOT confirm that control has been regained.
*One pirate reportedly in custody. Three others jumped ship or were thrown overboard.
*Crewmen were not armed.
*Captain Shane Murphy is second in command of the ship. Details here.
12:30pm Eastern. It appears that Barack Obama has dodged a bullet — thanks to the quick-acting American crewmen of the Maersk Alabama.
Tom McGovern tweets: “The Maersk Alabama crew probably saw Gibbs briefing and figured they’d never get home waiting for WH.”
1:50pm Eastern. Not over yet? Captain reportedly still being held.
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This is funny because it’s true. That’s how they really think.
Excellent post.
New York Times/Washington Post Headline tomorrow:
PIRATES RELEASE CREW AND RETURN SHIP OUT OF RESPECT FOR OBAMA!
I love how they were thrown overboard.
Time to throw the Chicago pirate in the White House overboard, along with his fellow pillagers pelosi, reid, frank, dodd, and murtha.
Clearly, these sailors feel they’re better off taking matters into their own hands than letting Obama bow to the pirates.
Good for them.
Gee, I wonder why the comment section is closed for that article…sounds like a terrific plan to me.
What the heck kind of cowboy diplomacy is this? The UN is supposed to mediate these little misunderstandings! You’re not supposed to take matters into your own hands! This is unacceptable!
sounds like the real solution to all of this BS is to make sure there are at least 20 Americans on e very ship going through the area …
Any word whether the pirates’ guns were purchased in California?
They were just going to go along peacefully and hope for the best but then they remembered who was president.
The crew of a U.S. flagged ship did not act as cowardly as nearly every other ships crew has done? I’m shocked, shocked I tell ya.
BTW to the pirates…
EPIC FAILURE!!!
AP reports they all held hands and sang Kumbaya. Then, drank a toast to Obama. UN resolution applauds.
The White House was closely monitoring the situation (just sittin’ and watchin’), while the crew took charge of the matter and succeeded. Mr. TelePrompter may have dodged a bullett, but the point that solving our own problems beats waiting for government “help” was well demonstrated, and that’s the last thing he wants us to see.
It’s great news that the American crew took their ship back. But it doesn’t mean that Obama won’t insist on still sending a ransom check to the pirates.
In other news the White House announced it would be prosecuting the cremembers for waterlogging the pirates.
Thrown overboard? EXCELLENT! I just hope some chum went in first.
BTW – All of these ships should be armed. Nothing big, but big enough.
It was the quick and resolute response from the United States government that allowed the crew to retake control of the ship.
Those crewmembers did not play by the rules. A UN condemnation and getting their asses hauled before the World Court please! (snark)
Whoops crewmembers not cremembers
I’m sure Obama will apologize to the families of those thrown overboard, and offer them financial compensation. Most likely, the families and the captured pirate will be encouraged to sue Maersk and the crewmembers for their violent actions, obviously racially motivated as they were.
I really, really wish I could believe 100% this could never happen.
A few more of these incidents, and the Somali Jack Sparrows will go back to hijacking Europeans.
This sort of thing reminds us that what makes America great isn’t our politicians (barf) or our celebrities (double barf) but guys like these butt-kicking crew members.
I hope someone remembered to throw a leaking bag of blood from the medical supply cabinet into the water with the pirates …
Obama really is inspirational.
That crew didn’t want to spend the next 3 years and 9 months waiting for the next Reagan, so they took matters into their own hands. That should be a lesson to all the socialists out there.
Rugged individualism is what made this country great. Parasitic equality is what will bring it down.
In a related story…even Jon Stewart ridiculed Obama’s reaction to the North Korean missile launch.
Sign me up for that family vacation.
Thrown of the ship? Isn’t that water overboarding? This play may get flagged for a technical foul.
Was this just an early Tea Party??
I can hardly wait for our local one April 15!!
I’m sure the critics of waterboarding will find reason to get behind a lawsuit against the Americans for defending themselves.
Whoop!!!
John Wayne is cheering!!!
They want to start a stinkin’ ice age!
Wait – weren’t these pirates entitled to in-state tuition at the University of Oregon?
90% of their outboard motors come from the US and the Obama Administration will be pressing for a crack-down on high-powered assault outboard motors. “There is nothing in the Consitution about outboard motors” empty suit Janet Napolitano shouted, and we’re going to put a stop to it. Hillary Clinton, in her latest speech noted that it was the fault of Americans who had donated goods to the poor in Africa…
Now that would be reality TV!
I guess if given a choice of risking one’s life fighting back, or taking their chances awaiting release via Obama’s sternly worded letter of protest, I guess I’d fight back as well.
Jimmy is busy with his new group – Pirate Ships for Humanity. It teaches “restless youth” all about boat-building…
I don’t see what’s so difficult in defending one’s ship when in open waters. Seems armed with appropriate weapons there should be no problem. It’s not like the pirates come out the now where and board ship without being seen for miles. What am I missing here?
Fire axes and fire houses, plus a knowledge of the ships layout, no doubt, make for effective weapons.
The fact that it’s an unarmed civilian ship.
On a Naval vessel, there are all kinds of eyes topside – lookouts, signalmen, the bridge crew, radar, etc., etc. On a merchant vessel, which generally has a crew only one-tenth or less the size of the crew of even a modest frigate, there just aren’t enough eyes to be watching the horizon and near-ocean areas. The crew on the bridge generally consists of two, at the most three – the helmsman, the officer of the deck/navigator, occasionally, but not always in international waters, the master, possibly an engineer to watch the engines. There is generally no lookout posted, and radar is used for navigation and storm tracking, not for watching for small boats lost in the sea clutter. Deck crewmen, if any, might be scraping and painting, or other chores which preclude their staring off into the horizon. The Jacob’s ladder may be permanently deployed for the convenience of the harbor pilot, which makes getting aboard relatively simple. Otherwise, a line with a grappling hook to snare the handrail works quite well.
Regarding arms on commercial ships;
Most companies do not want armed crews for several reasons. As has been pointed out earlier, one reason is the crews themselves.
Aside from any other speculative reason, there’s the legality. It’s one thing for a merchant ship to carry small arms while in international waters. But what happens when they pull into port in another country? How many countries allow arms into ports? Would it be legal for say, a merchant ship flagged out of Panama to enter port in Hong Kong with weapons on board? It’s my understanding that it’s not legal.
I have a feeling “pirate chic” is going to appear soon. Get ready for the eye liner and eye patches and puffy shirts. Kind of a “Gay Pirates of the Caribbean” thing.
Merchant ships, at least ours, should be armed. A double set of twin 50′s and perhaps a few 40mm grenade launchers would keep away any hijack/pirates–just an overhead burst from those pee bringers would solve the issue yesterday.
We know WHERE the pirates are, we know their villages. Former President Bush ws so worried about being called a unilateralist that he failed to take any action–he wanted the UN to do something. What something? A stern rebuke? Wimps rule the world.
When the Congressional Black Caucus is done fawning over the Castro Bros perhaps Bro Bama can send them to talk to the pirates.
Yeah, it’s not like they are Brinks guards delivering a few thousand dollars of cash to various downtown banks. No need for guns on the Barbary Coast. Casting dirty looks works fine.
They just got their “Nigerian Investment” email and they are on their way to Africa right now …
It’s always snark and sarcasm with you, isn’t it Aloha?
You may think being sarcastic is clever, but we on this site are working toward saving our nation.
Go play your word games on Townhall or lgf.
As always, gotta love the highly relevant posts from the usual suspects …
Pay attention, folks - the latest update is that the ship’s captain is being held hostage.
I’m speechless…
Q: what will he do?
A: Quick! Get Ridley Scott!
Hahaha. Ed #146, he’s kidding.
Okay, I can understand not having weapons on board. BUT… there are plenty of very effective, non violent technologies out there that detect approching vessels and can immobilze them—before they’re close enough to climb on board. Anybody ever watch Future Weapons? How many multi million dollar payouts will these companies have to make before they invest in some of these devices?
Please tell me that was a joke. You honestly have the nerve to rebuke anyone for word games and sarcasm?
Thank goodness we have some brave American sailors that can think and act in an emergency. Had they waited for Obama to help their ship would have rusted and sunk.
LOL–TheMaster; thanks, now all I can think about is Obama as RuPaul.
Actually, that’s not so bad…not as bad as when I remember that he’s President.
AlohaGuy, I got the Nigerian letter too–all I have to do is send them a check……………
But WE need to arm OUR merchant ships–arrangements can be made in territorial waters-pilot controlled lockers or such. That Americans lives are put in harms way over someone else’s sensibilities is out of the question.
QuadDuce–don’t leave port without them.
There are a lot of solid reasons for not having weapons or any such devices on board merchant vessels. First, the cost to equip a company’s fleet would be prohibitively expensive. Second, there would be the necessity of having not one but four extra crewmen on board each vessel to operate any such devices(four, since one man can’t do it by himself 24/7 for weeks at a time – besides, the union rules would prohibit it). Third, there is a question of the legality of such devices under international maritime law – this is not a small thing, or an afterthought. The company could be on the hook for millions or even billions of dollars in payments and reparations. As twofoot said (#139) most countries in the world, our own included, prohibit the entry of any merchant vessel which is carrying arms and ammunition of any kind which is not part of its cargo, and even when it is, it could possibly be denied entry.
In view of the recent uptick in the incidents of piracy, however, many maritime nations are seriously looking at the laws with an eye to changing them, and some shipping companies are reviewing their own internal regulations and training.
My husband and I were watching the coverage on Fox News, he turned to me and said don’t expect these people to be praised they will be scolded by this administration for taking action…that is the expectation The Obama Administration is creating with their America Was Arrogant World Tour. Obama really thinks his ACORN devotees vs the rest of the Country can keep the lid on the rest of the American Population? Really? There are way more of us, and we know it…You would think Obama and his Squirrel staple, would figure that out.
cpodoug: I was thinking along the lines of this.
They even use it on the Queen Mary 2. Probably one or two trained operators would be enough.
The last sentence of each Rules of Engagement SOP I ever read ALWAYS ended with the this sentence.
However, the right of self-defense is never denied.
Good words, good guidance, nuff said.
I think the obvious solution is just to make sure to have plenty of rum and salty wenches on board.
When the pirates get drunk on pina colatas and try to get frisky with Rosalita…WHAM!!! A lead pipe to thr back of the head!
Or you could try putting an evil maritime curse on the shipping containers as a deterrent.
If only the cook was a former Navy Seal just trying to make it to retirement…
‘scuse me whilst I shiver me timbers…
JohnDeaux–hey! Isn’t that my all-time fav, Mr. Steven Seagal?!
w00t
Why yes it would be, spaceycakes.
As a last resort, they could always invoke the right of Parlay, according to the Code of Bretheren, as set forth by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew.
And then Peter Ustinov would be free from his curse to rest in peace. Whoops, wrong Disney pirate movie.
Umm. Yeah! Rum and salty wenches!
And people say I stray off topic…
Huh? What were we talking about again?
Prayers for protection of
Capt. Shane Murphy
Who is Captain being held by?
Answer: Probably the Obama adminstration for abusing the prisoners. /s
Quoting the lede story, ” … What will BO do? … ”
Typical Obama reaction to anything will be very stern, decisive, take-no-prisoners, strong, and of the highest caliber of leadership.
Obama will simply read off his TelePrompTer and bump his gums together, making some noise with his vocal cords.
That will be the extent of it.
In other words, Obama will give another effete, weak kneed, self deceptive speech, and nothing else.
The fawning media will chime in at how heroic and what a great leader the Messiah is, and that will be that.
Hail the great, heroic, brave, limp-as-an-over cooked noodle leader of the USA, President Barrack Hussein “Community Organizer” Obama, a man whose strength is his lack of strength.
President Barrack Hussein Obama, the weak, skinny man with the skinny legs and the unpleasant speaking style and unpleasant speaking voice, will continue to be garner false praise and nothing will get done.
for those who actually want to follow the story:
Reports the pirates may have taken the captain with him.
Now, if this is still a hostage crisis:
If it were GWB still in the White House- not only would this story lead on all the evening newscasts, we’d have constant reminders, exclusive interviews with wives, mothers, friends.
But now that it is Obama, mentioned 15 minutes into the newscast, and probably not mentioned again until Obama quietly arranges ransom, or the Musselmen holding the hostages execute them, and if it is a bad outcome, just a brief mention.
Thanks for the replies gentlemen, I still do not understand why a ship, civilian or other wise does not take the right to defend themselves against these criminals.
Surely if there is a problem when reaching a port, some agreement could/should be reached with governments involved to allow weapons for defense while at sea, placing restrictions when at port. Seems like common sense to me.
It was mentioned lack of crew compared to a military vessel, obviously there would be a much smaller crew on a merchant ship. Which is money better spent, hiring a few armed guards for security of the ship, personnel included, or pay ransoms of millions of dollars?
I have to agree with AN, these merchants ships should be armed, not being so makes no sense to me when pirates are known to be operating in such seas.
Lick the wench, then take a slug of tequila!
BTW, Mr. Steven Seagal also helped the ‘pres’ in ‘Executive Decision’. Unfortunately, I believe he was killed in the first act.
And I was like, wha?
Serious question (I know! Right?)
I wonder if the insurance policies for these companies covers losses due to piracy. If so, they may be relatively disincentivized to do much.
Now that’s hard to believe a group of dishonest, criminal, stealing, kidnapping pirates would not keeping their end of the bargain…WOW, what’s this world coming to?
Chap, you’d have to refer that to Lloyd’s of London. But my first guess is that that’s not one of the covered maritime disasters.
I tried but I couldn’t figure out where the entrance to their building was.
one Lime Street
copdug: granted I’m not an expert on these things but I can’t help but think that a good 1911 sidearm could make a big difference in many of these situations.
cpo,
Have you ever seen the building?
Google some pictures of it.
It certainly could. But you have to bear in mind that many countries make a very thorough search if they suspect any kind of weapon on board a merchant ship
All well and good. Until the lawyers get their grubby little fingers in it. Have you ever known a lawyer to allow anything to stand on common sense? Heavens no, then they would have to find real, productive work to do.
I saw water hoses used on green peace while all of us were armed with saws, and M16A2s. It was great fun to watch. That water was always cold in Scotland.
Those skinneys should have been destroyed. I don’t feeeeelll compassionate today.
I want to hear more about the salty wenches and rum.
Another option is to deploy 1st BN 160th Aviation Regt, 2/14 Infantry Bn, 10th Mountain Div, and 3rd Bn 75th Rangers to the area with a boatload of fire support.
Their op order would just say “Pay Back.”
I know when I shipped something once that piracy wasn’t covered. I asked – as a joke – and they said no. But not sure about their ship.
Pictures here. It looks newer than 1688 though.
I think this will get you a Google picture
Its a big frigging ocean. Those are big friggin ships. Those ships are loud and there’s constant ‘waves’ crashing on the sides. Theres only a few crew members to run the whole ship but there are 24 hours in a day. When you are 3-400 MILES out to sea you are not expecting for a few guys in a speedboat to show up.
Standing on the shore of Cali of Florida or taking cruise in the Bahamas IS NOT the open ocean. Its a whole different world off the continental shelf.
After days, months, years of staring into the ocean on watch, most likely youre loking for a 1000ft container ship not a 20ft speedboat that can disappear behind any of the 100 waves that are around you. Even if you have been warned.
It reminds me of something from Brazil, just waiting for Mr. DeNiro to swing in, fix the hvac and save the captain from the pirates.