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Subscribe to RSSPORT HARCOURT, Nigeria -- Pirates attacked a ship being used by an oil servicing company in waters off southeastern Nigeria on Saturday, killing two Nigerian naval guards and kidnapping four foreigners, the navy said.
"The incident was somewhere around the Niger Delta, where an oil servicing company was attacked by gunmen. We lost two of our men and four expatriates were abducted, one Malaysian, one Iranian," navy spokesman Commodore Kabir Aliyu said.
He said a Thai and an Indonesian were also taken, but had no immediate further details.
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Security in the Delta has improved since militant activity shut down nearly half of Nigeria's oil output around the middle of the last decade, thanks to an amnesty between various militant factions and the government.
But the situation remains volatile and inflamed by organized crime and local political rivalries.
Piracy and kidnapping in the Delta and offshore are common, and West Africa's oil-rich Gulf of Guinea is second only to the waters around Somalia for the risk of pirate attacks, which drives up shipping insurance costs.
They are seen as more of a criminal enterprise making huge sums for armed gangs than as anything political.
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Nigerian pirates usually release kidnapped crew members after their cargo has been looted, rather than hold them for ransom.
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Cowards!!!
Somebody needs to dust off their navy and go after the pirates aggressively. Apparently current international treaties do not allow jurisdiction and this makes big navies liable for any actions they might take and no one is able to prosecute except where and when their own nationals are involved. Having said that, when and where the major navies do take action it's usually decisive, yet ineffective. A very ancient method of shark abatement is so catch and kill a shark, drag it up onto the beach and let it get ripe over the course of a week or so and then dip it in the water. Something about decaying shark seems to deter other sharks from the lagoon. What's my point? Pirates have been around since the beginning of recorded time. The Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, etc., etc., etc. have all had to deal with pirates. The time honored tradition is hanging, crucifixion or being burned alive. Pouring molten lead down the throat probably won't "fly anymore" through the whole "cruel and unusual punishment" clause. But hanging is still allowed. Nothing like hanging pirates from the yardarm and parading them past whatever port they sail out of. The second tactic is to storm the port from which the pirates are raiding from, totally burn it down and block the harbor. Sure, it's a big inconvenience for the local population, but "you live with pigs, you're bound to get dirty". But to continue to allow pirates free reign demonstrates the weakness of the major powers. It doesn't provide sufficient money to the local poor, it endangers free trade and shipping on the open ocean, which is why we pay billions of dollars a year for a navy, and it's getting innocents kidnapped, tortured and killed. To argue that we have to let innocents die to prevent the deaths of other innocents is a senseless argument. A concerted effort by the US Navy, the Royal Navy, French Navy and local forces could put an end to this. But then if the major powers can't handle a little piracy, what confidence do we have in them being to handle anything?
RT since you are so well informed, we'll let you take the lead !
I am at a loss as to why these boats don't mount 50 cals nor why the UN doesn't assembly a multinational force to sweep the "infested" areas. Last I heard pirates were holding over 30 cargo ships and tankers hostage. We have satellites and surely know where they are. A large ground force should be put together, move in, get the ships and kill any resistance or pirates found. Forget the commando stuff where one or two are killed to get to the objective. Wipe them out.
Two or three US destroyers would lock that entire ocean down. Kill 'em all.
I'm glad you are offering to pay for that.
Another very sad blood for oil story.
.
That is a lot of ocean. We would need a fleet to stop the piracy.
When found, they must be punished with great severity.
Like you can punish these guys. What have they got to lose? A life of grinding poverty and an early, painful death?
No, two or three destroyers would not "lock down" that entire ocean. Have you ever been on an ocean in your life?? There are many warships in the waters off Somalia and they cannot come anywhere close to "locking down" anything.
What they need to do is refit some cargo ships with a significant amount of weaponry, and then go trolling. When the pirates take the bait, rip them to shreds. Make that happen on a consistent basis, and people might think about a different career path.
Excellent idea VV.
Just like the WWII Q ships.
If our illustrious Congressional politicians would fund hydrogen research maybe we could stop importing oil and this human trash would be less of a problem. Oh wait, oil companies fund our politicians. We need a new work around.
These souless pigs need to be hanged without trial!
It's not right to hang them without a trial. Just give them the trial.......then hang them!
Many of you on this board are making mindless comments about this situation with no understanding of what is going on. While I do not support any act of violence, I will, as a once native of Nigeria, tell you what is going on this area. The economic disparity among the oil companies doing business there and the citizens in the Port Harcourt is glaringly horrible. People there live in abject poverty, while foreigners with oil tankers suck up the natural resources that should otherwise benefit the natives. Coupled with the corrupt government of Nigeria, gas prices are high because of high demand and short supply of gas. Port Harcourt is a volatile, violent city. For the occasions I have had to traveled to Nigeria, I have carefully avoided this area. Kidnapping is a lucrative business for the gangsters. If you are travelling from the United States, you are a target. So, it is common to see foreigners escorted by armed soldiers. I am 56 years now; however, I remember living through a horrific 6-year or so civil war because the easterners in Nigeria felt that, despite abundance of natural resources in their area, the federal government was aligning itself with foreign companies, to exploit them. As such, they fought to secede from the union. The pirates and gangsters engage in "terrorist" activities to communicate their anger about this exploitation. Some of them, because of scarcity of gas, resort to siphoning and stealing the crude oil from the refineries to sell them in the black market. This has been going on for a long time. That is the story, my friends.
May God bless you. May God bless America and President Barrack Obama
I appreciate your history lesson and cannot comprehend what it would be like to live there.
That said: even a violent history does not make it ok to pirate todays tankers and ships and hold people who are not part of that history. Violence will beget violence (as you well know) and this too should be the case with the pirates. I don't care what their reasoning for coming aboard a ship to steal or hold people ransom. If they do, they deserve to be shot on sight as would be my preference here. If I am the ships captain and my first responsibility is to my crew and its cargo, then anyone boarding my ship without my consent is subject to maritime laws and justice. Right then and there. After a warning shot does not stop them, then AIM at them and let us do what needs to be done.
Perhaps the next time you are in Nigeria, you would do me this favor; of finding my friend Admiral Roger and my lottery winnings?
They need to get together and go after their government and pull it down instead of going after people who have nothing to do with their misery.
You can't excuse their piracy and murder by talking about their poverty. They are the only people who can do something about it.
American Patriot, as you would have notice I am a native Nigerian Igbo. The money generated by the government through the sale oil are being diverted to Swiss bank accounts by top officials of the government voted in by the same Nigerians that you refer to as poor. If you and I go there now promising to run effective government that caters to the people, non of them will pay attention except we start dolling out cash to each and everyone of them or they they will shift attention to the other guy who has enough money to pay twice more than we paid and will win the election and recovers his money several times over. the problem Nigerians have is cultural issues and I don't know if it will ever change.
Am-Pat;
may god bless you, may god bless the US and to hell(kenya) with Obama!
Nigerian naval guards don't appear to be very good protection.
Some of the pirates themselves are trained military personnel.
I've heard the "grinding poverty" argument way too many times. It just doesn't float with me any more. Why, specifically, should the natives benefit from the efforts and investment of someone else? Just because? If their government is corrupt then they need to change it. If they want the oil, then they need to get it themselves. And, excuse me, but kill the pirates. Life's a bitch for everyone, but it's no excuse for crime and terrorism. Playing into the "I'm poor so I'm entitled to steal and kill" is just a crock of s*i*.
Kill the pirates, kill the pirates, kill the pirates ...
I agree on a couple of issues. One: the "Q" ship idea. Two: Fire a warning shot. First one right between the runnin' lights (between the eyes), then rake the hell outta whatever craft is coming alongside. THERE'S yer "warning shot" fer ya!
If the oil companies are exploiting the natural resources, then either the Nigerian government as well as private Nigerian companies are allowing them to do so. The pirates need to be addressing those issues as should the United Nations.
The United Nations should 1) address issues of exploitation in Nigeria and elsewhere, and 2) stop the pirating.
The truth is that the United Nations will do no such thing.
The United Nations is supposedly being managed by executives from third world countries. But have they lifted a finger for third world countries? No.
The United States pours billions per year into the United Nations. Why? Maybe because the United Nations protects the industrialized exploiters from the U.S. and Europe.
Everyone seems to forget that Europe exploited countries around the world for centuries. Third world countries were the colonies of Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, etc. for economic profit and gain. It was only in the 1960s that much of this came to an end.
Is it too far-fetched to think that they along with the U.S. are still exploiting, letting private corporations pick up where the European Empires left off?
Let's face it. The United Nations is there to ensure that the industrial economic powers get protection while they exploit.
The Nigerian government is being paid off by commercial interests. Count on that.
Nigerian pirates need to deal with their own government and it's selfish self-seeking policies. I suppose they think it safer to attack the oil interests. But the oil interests have the capability to withstand anything. So, they need to figure out ways to subvert the current Nigerian government. Venezuela did it. They can too.
Oil companies are not getting the oil for free. They pay the government even more than the fare market value because Nigeria's crude is in the same quality as the North sea Brent. According to Nigerian constitution, any mineral resources discovered in Nigeria belongs to the government. As soon as petroleum is discovered on your land, that land ceases to be yours and becomes government's land. No compensation to you. The government has a formula as to how to share the profits with the companies.
They steal to survive AND to draw attention to their plight.
Too bad this is all the attention they will get. Nothing will be done.
Start making it an immediate death penalty for doing this. After enough of them are dead, they will either learn or there won't be enough left alive to continue it.
Yo Ho Ho, the pirates life for me.
PS they're not so much rules, as they are guidelines.
From what i read it's Al Queada that's doing all of this , there should be a little money set aside by the oil co's. to pay for someones Navy to go in and take them out .... No boots on the ground of course .
Let the stinkie SOB's swim the're arses back to the main land shores and sink the're boats, a good 25 mile swim might take the wind out of the're sails or thay can have dinner with davey jones and the rest of the briggams. walk the plank per codex no parlay.
I wonder what foreigners are still going there to do. Myself as a native would not risk it. The whole world should boycott Nigeria. Everything about the country is messed up that is why large number of its natives are living abroad. It is a disaster already in progress.
Sounds like a great place to hunt pirates ....
I'm still waiting for the Nigerian Ambassador to wire funds to my account for the $1 million Nigerian Lottery I won. I sent the check for the $3,500 processing fee.
People are people and that will never change. Some people are tired of hearing about the same excuses, but that's because nothing has changed. You have a government that gets rich by allowing foreigners to take a national resource and profit from it while the rest of the country is in squalor. Yea for the pirates. I say send the pirates guns.
What would happen in Oklahoma if locals pirated the water wasted on hydrofracking and used it to grow gardens or help protect their homes from fires.