“Prepare to be Borded, Scalliwags!”

2008 September 29

by knockoutniki

Sorry for the blogging hiatus. I have been tired, working a lot, soft-balling a lot [more on that later], and trying to fit in some quality RR at the moment. But, I just got back from lunch and noticed this little news bit steaming across my homepage:

Forces Surround Ship Hijacked by Pirates

MOGADISHU, Somalia (Sept. 29) – U.S. warships and helicopters on Monday surrounded a hijacked cargo ship loaded with Sudan-bound tanks and other arms to keep the weapons from falling “into the wrong hands,” an American Navy spokesman said.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a deputy spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said the shipment of 33 Russian-designed tanks, rifles and ammunition on the Ukrainian-operated Faina was headed for Sudan — not Kenya as previously claimed by Kenyan officials.

The pirates who seized the ship are demanding a $20 million ransom.

The U.S. fears the armaments onboardthe Ukrainian vessel may end up with al-Qaida-linked Islamic insurgents who have been fighting the shaky U.N.-backed Somali transitional government since late 2006.

“We maintain a vigilant watch over the ship and we will remain on station while negotiations between the pirates and the shipping company are going on,” Christensen told The Associated Press.

Pirates seized the Faina’s Ukrainian, Russian and Latvian crew off Somalia’s lawless coast on Thursday as it headed to Kenya and anchored the vessel off Somalia’s coast near the central town of Hobyo. One crew member has died.

AOL News

Pirates? I know there are real life pirates – anyone who has seen Captain Ron knows that (HAHA), but there has got to be a better word to describe these guys and what they do. Seabound-Crazies? Floating-Vigilantes? I mean, it is not like they are going after sunken treasure, right?

Article in interesting though and t he pictures here are heart wrenching.