Boy, on the surface, the story does not sound good. Why are the guards jumping ship, and leaving their client to the mercy of pirates? And how did these guards miss this one? Most of all, were they even armed to defend the ship? Lots of questions about this incident, and I will not judge before I hear everything.
Like I have said before, sooner or later these pirates will catch on to the fact that most of these security companies that are posting guards on these ships are lightly armed, or worse yet, just outfitting them with less than lethal stuff like the LRAD. These guys are smart, and they will do all they can to sneak up on these ships. They will pose as coast guards, or a distressed ship in need of help, and as soon as they can get up on the craft, they will board. It is a tactic as old as the sea, and in my opinion, we need to start learning some of these ancient lessons on how to deal with pirates. –Head Jundi
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Somali pirates hijack ship, British guards escape
By KATHARINE HOURELD
November 28, 2008
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Somali pirates hijacked a chemical tanker with dozens of Indian crew members on board Friday, and three British security guards were rescued by helicopter after jumping into the sea, officials said.
A warship on patrol nearby had sent helicopters to intervene in the attack, but they arrived after pirates had taken control of the Liberian-flagged ship, diplomatic officials said on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak with media.
