Ship Seized by Somali Pirates Carrying 33 Russian Tanks

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Alan

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KIEV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian ship seized off Somalia by pirates had 33 Russian T-72 tanks in its cargo, officials said Friday.

Defense Minister Yury Yekhanurov told reporters that the cargo on the ship, the Faina, also included "a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts," according to Larisa Mudrak, a spokeswoman for President Viktor Yushchenko.

It was not immediately known where the tanks were being shipped to, although the ITAR-Tass news agency said they had been sold to Kenya. Yekhanurov also said the tanks had been sold "in accordance with international law," according to Mudrak.

Ukrainian officials and an anti-piracy watchdog said earlier Friday that pirates seized the Ukrainian vessel off eastern Somalia on Thursday.

Russia said Friday it has sent a patrol ship to Somalia, but a navy statement did not specifically mention the seizure of the Ukrainian ship.

The navy commander ordered a patrol ship from Russia's Baltic Sea fleet to the area, navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said in a statement.

The hijacking brings the number of attacks off Somalia to 61 this year, and pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew members, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia.

Dygalo said Russia's navy would periodically send ships to piracy-prone areas to protect Russian citizens and Russian ships. He said the patrol ship had left the Russian port of Baltiisk on Wednesday "with the aim of providing for a naval presence in a number of oceans and sea regions."

Dygalo's statement did not specifically mention the seizure of the Ukrainian ship, which occurred a day later. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Russia has been seeking to revive its navy in the wake of the Soviet collapse and expand its global presence. A naval squadron is on its way to Venezuela for joint exercises.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, meanwhile, ordered unspecified measures to secure the release of the crew. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,428582,00.html

Somalia just got themselves an armoured division. Now they just have to figure out how to operate the damn things :D
 
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Now we shall see the force of russia come down on some poor somali's who just need some scrap metal to make a living :D
 
"and in other news this hour, Russia decided to invade Somalia ....." :D
 
LOL! I hope they inialate those Somali pirates! Those waters are so usafe with those savages doing as they please, that a bit of tender loving from mamma russia is just what they need.
Pirate attacks worldwide have surged this year and Africa remains the world's top piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in Somalia and 18 in Nigeria so far this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center.

The issue burst into international view on Sept. 15. when Somali pirates took two French citizens captive aboard a luxury yacht and helicopter-borne French commandoes then swooped in to rescue them.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy this month called on other nations to move boldly against pirates, calling the phenomenon "a genuine industry of crime.
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Who knows how many ships are currently held to ransom at the moment? So I really hope the Russians give them a good hiding! Want die anders is te blerrie ordentlik.
 
that place must be absolute madness, its a full on wasteland there and no one gives a ****!
 
the mistake is calling these guys pirates, they are liberators, conquerors, etc. that wasteland marks the spot where the revolution begins
 
So whats the going rate for a T-72?...I need to make some tank tracks on my neighbors grass. Revenge for ruining our grass.
 
mine_dump said:
the mistake is calling these guys pirates, they are liberators, conquerors, etc. that wasteland marks the spot where the revolution begins
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Yeah liberators of other people's assets. Criminals in other words
 
mine_dump said:
the mistake is calling these guys pirates, they are liberators, conquerors, etc. that wasteland marks the spot where the revolution begins
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African freedom fighters, liberators, conquerors, revolutionaries, ....... always convert everything to a wasteland and then expect handouts from the West.
 
A tense standoff has developed in waters off Somalia over an Iranian merchant ship laden with a mysterious cargo that was hijacked by pirates.

Somali pirates suffered skin burns, lost hair and fell gravely ill “within days” of boarding the MV Iran Deyanat. Some of them died.
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http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=851953

It seems like these pirates are getting all sorts of booty!! There is even some speculation that there might be some nuke material on board this ship - http://therightperspective.com/wordpress/?p=128
 
If I was the US government I would use the seas off the coast of Somalia as a training ground... ANYTHING that floats, will become target practice. I mean, how can ANYONE let this go on, I mean those waters are part of an essential shipping route. I mean either lots of ships get through just fine and therefore everyone thinks their ship will be fine, or people are just idiots. Plus, why not hire some hardcore guys to escort the ship, with small attach boats!?!? I mean with a cargo like 33 tanks, I am pretty sure there's a ton of money at stake... so whats the big deal spending a few extra million on some ex french foreign legionares and kitting them out with a helicopter, some kind of smaller military boat and a whole whack of bullets, rpg's, etc!?!??! Or even some Ninja's!?!? I mean we all know that Pirates don't stand a chance against ninja's!!!!!

However, I think the problem with this is that the pirates make sure that at any one time, they have hostages to make sure that the US doesn't willy nilly attack their ships!
 
Probably find the Iranian ship was carrying nothing particularly nasty but made a few Somalis mildly ill so they went to the local witchdoctor to be put on a dose goat genitals and chicken blood 3 times a day. The rest as they say is history :o
 
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