Pravda reported in 2003 the escape of the tanker Monneron after an attack on the way to Mombassa.
" two boats with pirates approached the tanker at a distance of fifty metres and demanded that the ship stop. Three people in one boat and four in the other were armed with automatic weapons and grenade-launchers.The crew of the tanker hid in the inner premises of the craft, and its speed was increased to the maximum. The captain immediately contacted the anti-pirate centre in Kuala Lumpur by phone and informed it of the incident. For their part, the specialists of the centre informed the command of the French naval force in Djibouti. All the ships, which were in the area of the incident, were also informed of the attack of the pirates.
The assailants fired three shots at the tanker from grenade-launchers and pursued the tanker for nearly an hour but the Monneron managed to escape. None of the crewmen was hurt."
The report is archived at: Tanker Escapes Pirates
Yesterday, 7 November, 2005 NUMAST, the international maritime union called for a UN force to guard shipping off the coast of East Africa:
"NUMAST – which represents some 19,000 shipmasters, officers and other maritime professionals – says the threat to maritime trade, lives, safety and the environment is so great in some hotspots that naval protection is essential.
It wants a United Nations-coordinated force of ships, backed up by aerial surveillance, to be deployed off the coast of east Africa to deter attacks on shipping. Without such a deterrent, NUMAST says there will be a growing risk of substantial loss of life or a major environmental disaster."
See the NUMAST website where you can also look up your old shipmates. This site also offers some "shipcams" with views from bridges from ships at sea.
It is also a note that, like the humanitarian invasion of Somalia; some "small wars" remain unwinnable; the hearts and minds of the people untouched and the overall situation unchanged.
Article comments
1 - Nancy
Why doesn't somebody put a few rocket grenades of their own on their ship, & blow the fuckers out of the water when they try to attack? Half a dozen counter attacks like this could probably cause these assholes to think twice.