Monday, March 15, 2010

The market speaks on piracy

Don't pass by the post because I link to the Hindustan Times. Hey, India is only the largest democratic country .....

... but to the topic at hand. Once again, if a large percentage of the merchant marineers being held by pirates were American or Western European - things would be much different WRT piracy than they are now. Full stop
.
Having faced numerous pirate attacks in the recent past, seafarers from India and other Asian countries have warned that they would not sail to the Gulf of Aden and Somalia, unless the threat of piracy is contained soon.
The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) has taken the lead in this regard and has interacted with its counterparts in Malaysia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and other Asian countries in the interest of sailing crew.
"Discussions with the unions (of other countries) are already on. If the situation does not improve, then seafarers from labour-supplying countries will not sail to these pirate-infested places," NUSI's General Secretary-cum-Treasurer, Abdulgani Y Serang, told PTI in Mumbai.
...
There are still 11 vessels with more than 200 crew-members of different nationalities held by pirates in the region, he added.

33 comments:

leesea said...

<span><span>For all those who think the threat from piracy is minimal and will go away without too much effort from the US Navy, I would submit the following as where "we" are at now:</span></span>
<span><span></span></span> <span><span>The shipping companies have raised their rates for the affected areas, the larger companies have hired private security guards (the smaller ones cannot afford it), the insurers have kicked up their premiums,the shipping companies have paid ransoms to pirates,the shipping companies have changed the itineraries/routes of some high value ships,the pirates have killed some of their victims and held many more for long period of incarceration,the seafarers unions are now talking about boycotting ships going through threatened areas (per news item I sent o to the CDR)</span></span> <span><span></span></span>  <span><span>the US Navy has captured a few pirates,the NATO/EU navies have captured many more pirates and released some,</span></span> <span><span>the UN has adopted some resolutions,whatever govt that exists in Somalia have started training a coast guard,the EU countries have deployed ships, aircraft and boats to the area as has the USN,a couple of EU countries are talking about donating patrol boats to the area,the MPSA is sort of effective,the "needle in a haystack" evolution in the western IO appears ineffective and NATO commander has said it nearly useless.</span></span> <span><span></span></span>  <span><span><span>So isn't it time the USN tried some new tactics?</span>    <span>
</span>
</span></span> <span><span></span></span><span><span>Like a Market Time type barrier operation?</span></span> <span><span>Stay the course or CHANGE course (gee I think I heard a discussion along those lines earlier?)</span></span>

Byron said...

I said it before: park a couple of LHAs off shore. Utilize P-3s and AWACs to track every boat coming off the beach. Throw UAVs at the recon if needed. EVERY boat that goes farther than 12 miles offshore gets boarded. Any boat caught with more than a shark rifle gets sunk on the spot and the pirates dropped off at the beach. Some will get through. Many will not. Sink enough boats and the problem becomes an economic one. Off the pirates a solution: we will back your fishing area exclusion zones, and even help you with real fishing boats. Maybe even a processing ship to sell the catch to. Eventually they will realize that piracy is a zero sum game and that fishing is at least a profession that won't get your boat blasted to bits.

DeltaBravo said...

Do it the way you handle troublesome birds or squirrels in your yard. 
Take out their nests (in Eyle, Ras Kamboni and Kismayo.)

Byron said...

Oh, no! You might hurt the innocent pee-pul! Just concentrate on the boats heading outside that 12 mile barrier and then sink 'em.

Seriously, if it were up to me, if I were POTUS, that's exactly what I'd do, DB. I'd follow every pirate back and burn his village to the ground, then sow it with salt.

Tom Mowry said...

you'll need the LHA's to act as tenders for the LCS that will be in the region anyway

LT B said...

Load up full of shooters a bunch of slow ships w/ low freeboard .  Entice them in and kill every last one on a skiff or mother ship that shoots or participates in the attempt at taking these ships.  Jam radios so word never gets out which are the shooting ships.  Eventually, the drugged up Somalies can do enough math to figure out every man that goes out is not coming back.  They will adjust accordingly or die.  Or is that too simple?

AW1 Tim said...

  Works for me!

Marine said...

I'm loading my magazines.  I've been ready since early 2009 when JTFs were being formed.  Please see new HBO mini-series "The Pacific" for resume bullets.  Willing to carpool with 2200 other Marines.  Serious offers only please.

Sincerely,
The United States Marine Corps

DeltaBravo said...

Byron, the problem with the innocent peee-pul is they support the pirates because their villages reap the rewards of pirate ransoms.  They're as guilty as the gunmen if they're profitting from ill-gotten gains. 

Here's a concept the innocent pee-pul need to understand:  Build an industry the world wants, work hard, and earn money the hard way... by your own efforts.

Byron said...

I was thinking more about our own governments sensibilities towards the "pee-pul". Between POTUS and SECSTATE, what do you think the dialog will be?

Byron said...

Lt. B., if our government had the balls to do it, I'd back that play 100%. I'd certainly be glad to let the Marines have the job, it's what they're best at, killing people and f###ing their shit up. No problem. But as I said below, not with the government we have now. Hey, with Fred Thompson as POTUS  and Sara-cuda as VPOTUS, things might be a bit different ;)

DeltaBravo said...

Sadly, between the two of them, I think SECSTATE has a brass pair compared to POTUS's cotton ones.  And she's prolly still mad at Somalia for making her husband look bad.

leesea said...

one does NOT need a big deck amphib to do what several Perrys can do and the point to Market Time is to barrier the coast

leesea said...

how about a nice little naval raid.  you know precision hit on pirate haven with a lot of boats being sunk and building burned and maybe some collateral damage too?
And that should not take more than one LSD or better yet an Absalon?

ewok40k said...

Solution 1: bomb/shell the bases
advantages:
quite thoroughly kills the pirates and not very costly
disadvantages:
mad media
mad muslims
mad lawfare
possibility of killing hostages
boats are cheap to rebuild
ak-47s are even cheaper

solution 2:
Q ships/armed crews
advantages:
quite cheap
creates in the pirates fear of US flag
disadvantages:
mad lawfare
mad media
mad muslims
possibility of retribution on hostages
creates "shoot first rob later" attitude in pirates
other flags are unprotected giving pirates sufficient profit to continue operations
pirate losses are cheap to rebuild

solution 3
great barrier - aka Salamander line , spot with UAV, board and search, sink if weapons found
advantages:
quite thorough in securing sea lanes
disadvantages:
simple to overcome by dropping weapons overboard when US forces sighted
usual mad: lawfare, media, muslims - though slightly smaller
dropped weapons are cheap to re-buy
quite costly and requiring large number of ships and planes
has to be sustained for unknown time

Solution 4
Invasion and nation building
no-go, we have Iraq unfinished and AFG getting hotter by day
sadly because there is one BIG advantage:
removes problem permanently


As a final point of analysis:
In nuclear warfare cities were small in number, extremely valuable, and hard to protect
nukes were cheap, plentiful, and hard to shoot down.
Similar analysis for the pirates is:
even if one in 10 boats hauls one big ship home, it will pay off its investors thousandfold or more
think Drake and Golden Hind

11B40 said...

Greetings:

I'm still waiting for someone to remember the old cowboy movie tactic of loading up all your sharpshooters in a covered wagon and driving out of town hoping that the Indians (no relation to the above) would attack.

This help me Mr. White Man I'm being victimized sounds like a load of hogwash to me.

Tom Mowry said...

another argument for SLEPing (I know that's not a verb but I just made it one) the Perrys

Byron said...

ROFLMAO!!!!

Grumpy Old Ham said...

"Mad media, mad muslims, mad lawfare" sound like features, not bugs...

Anonymous said...

ewok40K solution #1 waste of money for bombs and a/c operating expenses - heehee
solution #2 nice idea only it would take the USN one to five years to deploy a Q-ship.   Solution #3 is nearly a Market Time evolution which of course I like the best.And needs to have naval raiding party as part of it?  Also links to what may become a Somali CG which is more palitable now and better for long term solution.

DeltaBravo said...

Well, FIRST kill all the lawyers, then proceed with solutions...

sid said...

DB...those soft ones feel better when you have to leave them on SO's dresser most of the time... 8-)

DeltaBravo said...

Haha.  She looks like she can take him in a fight.

Byron said...

No, but the LHAs would support multiple helos and Marines....

ewok40k said...

DB, you just defeated the lawfare!

Grumpy Old Ham said...

Now you made me do it...http://www.e-rozrywka.katowice.pl/K1GjyrQiSRs,sam-kinison-hbo-special.html (advance to the 1:55 mark)

Therapist1 said...

Are there really that many bullets??

LT B said...

One can dream, one can dream.

Old NFO said...

The real solution is for the United States, Western Europe and other maritime nations to elect leaders with enough backbone to put a stop to this nonsense.  Piracy, like terrorism, will continue until the price paid for engaging in it far exceeds the rewards.  The most important factor in stopping both is not tactical, it's not "over there," it's what we choose to do in November.  When we have leaders willing to take the heat for doing what must be done, we will do what must be done.  Until then we will have platitudes, speeches and press conferences.

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