I had to do a presentation for a management class once. No one knew what the European Union was so I had to stop and explain it. Otherwise the entire presentation would not have made sense.

__________________
1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

That doesn't surprise me. These international business students can be pretty dense.

Half of them probably couldn't point out Germany on a map. Well except for our French and Chiness exchange students. They could point out Germany for sure, and probably most of its major cities.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Well, I'm sure they've done some good work here and there but c'mon, those guys have been half disaster much of the time.

It could well be the Blackwater guys getting burned and drug in Falujah that led to our costly missions there. BW was running their shotgun vehicles undermanned, poorly prepped, etc.

I have seriously mixed feelings about that crowd.

__________________
Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

That's been my thought but I guess the concern is that these guys will get something sufficient to damage the hull and then, whoa, major headaches. Sorta of a very expensive game of chicken.

Imagine if those pissants were able to pull off a serious hull breach on a super tanker.

__________________
Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

All valid points I know the military side that oversees BW operations share your concerns.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/23/somalia.pirates/index.html

That Hassan Nor fellow hit it right on the head.

I was advised ages ago that when your wallet is stolen or your property is broken into, say thousands in cash were taken. It won't help recovery one bit but crooked law enforcement will wring out the bad guys

Sixto
87 300D

I've gotten that impression. Oh well, none of this $h!t is easy. If I had some need to go to Iraq, I'd be wanting a top o' the line BW bodyguard as well.

__________________
Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

British crew escape pirate hijack
BBC

Two British security guards have jumped overboard from a chemical tanker seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Arden, reports have said.

The men, along with another crew member are then reported to have been picked up by a German naval helicopter.

The Liberian registered vessel, which has at least 28 crew, is now thought to be in the control of pirates.

There have been almost 100 attacks on ships by pirates off east Africa so far this year.

The International Maritime Bureau said the the Liberian-flagged tanker was hijacked early on Friday in the Gulf of Aden.

The vessel was captured in the same waters where many of the recent hijackings have taken place, the narrow shipping lane between Somalia and Yemen.

More than a dozen ships are currently being held to ransom, including the Saudi-owned super tanker the Sirius Star, which has two British crew on board.

Good move on their part. Hopefully there won't be repercussions for the rest of the crew.

__________________
1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Crew fights off Somali pirates with water jets

By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 56 mins ago

ATHENS, Greece – Crewmen fired high pressure water jets Friday to fight off heavily armed Somali pirates trying to board a Greek oil tanker in the dangerous Gulf of Aden, officials said. It was the fourth pirate attack of the new year.
Armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades, pirates in three speedboats twice tried to board the Greek-flagged Kriti Episkopi but were driven away when the crew turned fire hoses on them and EU aircraft scrambled from a nearby European Union naval flotilla to help, shipping company and Greek government officials said.
The attack came a day after Somali pirates seized an Egyptian cargo ship and its 28 crew in the waterway, one of the world's most important sea routes. Also Thursday, a Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being hijacked and a French warship thwarted an attack on a Panamanian cargo ship and captured several pirates.
The captain of the Kriti Episkopi spotted the pirates' speedboats just before 8 a.m. GMT. While he took evasive action to try to shake them off, Greek authorities alerted the EU naval flotilla.
"An aircraft and a helicopter reached the ship very quickly, which scared the pirates off," a Greek Merchant Marine Ministry spokesman said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. "A frigate also sped to the scene. Everything now seems to be under control, but we remain vigilant."
The 29 crew members were unhurt and the tanker, carrying oil from the Persian Gulf to Greece, was not damaged in the attack off the Somali coast, according to the ship's operating company Avin International.
More than a dozen warships are now patrolling between the shores of Yemen and Somalia to try to protect commercial vessels in the key waterway, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Countries as diverse as Britain, India, Iran, the United States, China, France and Germany have naval forces in the waters.
A French warship on Thursday intercepted two speedboats with eight Somali pirates as they were preparing to board the Panamanian ship, according to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office. The crew of the "PM L'Her" dispatch boat seized weapons and munitions and plan to hand the pirates over to Somali authorities.
Pirates attacked 111 ships around the Gulf of Aden in 2008, hijacking 42 of them and earning tens of millions in ransom. With the capture of the Egyptian tanker, 15 ships with more than 260 crew are still in the hands of pirates, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
The pirates have been able to operate so successfully because Somalia has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other.

"Scaring the pirates off" What a joke. Little speedboats out in the ocean are deployed from larger vessels. Once "scared off" these little boats should be followed at a distance by helicopter, or better yet, UAV until they meet up with the larger pirate vessel. Then one well placed munition, fired remotely from the UAV, would end the problem. Scaring them away just means they will be back, again and again. Namby pamby BS. RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

I think something like this M60 would have sent a slightly stronger message.
Quit pussyfootin around with these guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAdC8L2oUIQ

This is more of what I had in mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykb3Is3Dsmw&feature=related

4 on every ship. Nothings getting near you, except a missile.

Or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ELhy4_0hM&feature=related

Peace through superior firepower.

RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

They need to start killing these guys. Hand them over to "authorities"? What authorities? Line them up on the rail and put rounds into their heads.

Come on the British and the Marines were very good at this 200 years ago, have we forgotten how to deal with pirates?

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

It may seem harsh but I get a certain amount of joy envisioning these guys being devoured by sharks.




Jan 10, 10:11 AM (ET)

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN (AP) The MV Sirius Star is observed at anchor, in this U.S. Navy photo, Friday, Jan 9, 2009, following...
Full Image
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p {margin:12px 0px 0px 0px;} MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Five of the Somali pirates who released a hijacked oil-laden Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a reported $3 million ransom after their small boat capsized, a pirate and a relative of one of the dead men said Saturday.
Pirate Daud Nure said the boat with eight people on board overturned in a storm after dozens of pirates left the Sirius Star following a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden that ended Friday.
He said five people died and three people reached shore after swimming for several hours. Daud Nure was not part of the pirate operation but knew those involved.
Abukar Haji, the uncle of one of the dead men, said the deaths were an accident.
(AP) A small aircraft is observed, in this U.S. Navy photo, as it flies over the MV Sirius Star Friday,...
Full Image"The boat the pirates were traveling in capsized because it was running at high speed because the pirates were afraid of an attack from the warships patrolling around," he said.
"There has been human and monetary loss but what makes us feel sad is that we don't still have the dead bodies of our relatives. Four are still missing and one washed up on the shore."
Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali Naimi said Saturday that the crew of the Sirius Star was safe and that the tanker had left Somali territorial waters and was on its way home.
A Saudi Oil Ministry official said the ship was headed for Dammam, on Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast, but gave no estimated time of arrival. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The Liberian-flagged ship is owned by Vela International Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of Saudi oil company Aramco. A spokesman for the Dubai-based Vela, Mihir Sapru, would not provide details of the ship's destination or plans once in port.
(AP) A parachute dropped by a small aircraft is observed, in this U.S. Navy photo, as it drops over the...
Full Image"We are very relieved to know that all the crew members are safe and I am glad to say that they are all in good health and high spirits," said a statement by Saleh K'aki, president and CEO of Vela. "Throughout this ordeal, our sole objective was the safe and timely release of the crew. That has been achieved today."
U.S. Navy photos released Friday showed a parachute, carrying what was described as "an apparent payment," floating toward the tanker. The Sirius Star and its 25-member crew had been held since Nov. 15. Its cargo of crude oil was valued at US$100 million at the time.
The capture was seen as a dramatic demonstration of the pirates' ability to strike high-value targets hundreds of miles offshore.
On the same day the Saudi ship was freed, pirates released a captured Iranian-chartered cargo ship, Iran's state television reported Saturday. The ship Delight was carrying 36 tons of wheat when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 18 and seized by pirates. All 25 crew are in good health and the vessel is sailing toward Iran, the TV report said.
The pirate-infested Gulf of Aden is one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
The U.S. Navy announced this week it will head a new anti-piracy task force after more than 100 ships were attacked last year. NATO and the European Union already have warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and have intervened to prevent several ships from being captured.
More than a dozen ships with about 300 crew members are still being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, including the weapons-laden Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was seized in September.
The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the few ways to earn a living in the impoverished, war-ravaged country. Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and nearly half of its population depends on aid.