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132 comments on DrumBeat: November 17, 2008

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joule on November 17, 2008 - 12:04pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

neuroil -

It very likely has something to do with marine insurance and liability issues, but I find it more than just a bit silly that a 200,000-ton super tanker can be successfully attacked by a 24-foot speedboat driven by a rag-tag bunch of coked-up thugs armed with nothing more than some automatic rifles and a few RPGs.

You hardly need to keep a billion-dollar missile frigate on station to prevent this sort of free-lance piracy. Something as simple as a few pedestal-mounted 20 mm machine guns placed on each side of the tanker's bridge would make short work of any attacking small craft.

But the owners probably would rather not go that route, as it would require the addition to the crew of a small group of security professionals to man the guns. And I'm sure their lawyers, accountants, and insurers would conjure up all sorts of problems with operating an 'armed merchant ship'.

Any people knowledgable on maritime law out there?

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indeolie on November 17, 2008 - 1:20pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Not to mention the combination of 200.000 tons of fuel and the possibility of an exchange of explosive projectiles would make any insurer a bit nervous. Better pay these guys off than risk a 100 million dollars worth of crude.

Also, high volatility likely today around the close - it's option expiry day so lots of nervous people with itchy trigger fingers.

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joule on November 17, 2008 - 3:15pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

indeolie -

I see your point. However, I seriously doubt if a little small arms fire and a couple of RPGs are going to set off a super tanker. I also wonder how much it costs to keep a US Navy ship actively on station for months at a time. I guess it's really a matter of whose pocket the money is coming out of, and I can understand why the shippers would want someone else to take the responsibility (and absorb the cost) of protecting their ships.

The question is: how long are these shippers going to let the bullies take their lunch money? If rock stars, celebrities, and Brinks trucks can have armed body guards, why not super tankers? If the proper armament is provided, a small craft wouldn't be able to even get within firing range of a super tanker. (At least give the crew some cutlasses to repel boarders.)

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CITIZEN_ANARCHIST on November 17, 2008 - 3:29pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I seriously doubt you have any idea what it would take to set one off.

Depends on if it has finished product. If it did, it could be set off with just a few set placements of small arms ammunition. An RPG would be sooooo easy.

Even with just Crude on board, it could be a mess in only a few minutes. Just gotta know where o put it.

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Geckolizard on November 17, 2008 - 3:54pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I seriously doubt you have any idea what it would take to set one off.

Ever see the end of the movie 'Syriana'?

Ka-BOOM!

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RalphW on November 17, 2008 - 3:58pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

But that was a LNG tanker. They make for a very big bang :)

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Geckolizard on November 17, 2008 - 4:05pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Yeah, but I can't imagine that a tanker full of refined products would fare much better :(

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DaveMart on November 17, 2008 - 4:32pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Even in an empty tanker, I would imagine that the fumes remaining would make a pretty spectacular bang.
For the maximum impact though, perhaps a partially empty tanker would be the easiest to explode - plenty of fumes to set things off.

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lengould on November 17, 2008 - 3:38pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Ah, why worry? USA's taxpayers will foot the security bill for the crude highway, always have.

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the_rage on November 17, 2008 - 10:25pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The USS Cole proves otherwise.

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Paleocon on November 17, 2008 - 11:04pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

A warship coming to dock in peace is a different beast than one in a defensive posture.

Right now the pirates are bloodsucking ticks: irritating and noxious but tolerable in small numbers. It is only a matter of time before the pirates overplay their gambit and the local populace suffers the result. Fumigation will kill the ladybugs along with the ticks, to stretch the analogy.

I think they chose poorly when they took the Russian arms ship. Eventually a situation will escalate and the pirates' den will be cleared, and perhaps much of the Somalia coast with it. It will probably not be the US though -- we'd just do an escort service instead.

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AshtonW on November 18, 2008 - 12:51am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

"24-foot speedboat driven by a rag-tag bunch of coked-up thugs armed with nothing more than some automatic rifles and a few RPGs."

They were 450nm offshore. A 24 foot boat wouldn't even be close to tall enough for them to throw up a grappling hook. I'm sure they used the money from their last hijacking to buy a bigger boat.

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132 comments on DrumBeat: November 17, 2008

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