Tuesday - October 20, 2009

Pirates Seize Chinese Ship

Pirates Threaten to Execute 25 Chinese Sailors

Somali pirates responsible for hijacking a Chinese cargo ship in the Indian Ocean threatened Tuesday to kill its 25 crew members if a rescue operation was attempted.

“We tell China not to endanger the lives of their people with any rescue operation,” Hassan, a member of the gang that seized the vessel on Monday, told Reuters by phone.

“If they try that we will execute the whole crew ... we tell them to change their mind regarding any rescue, otherwise they will regret it. We know what they are planning to do.”

A government spokesman said China is making an “all-out” effort to rescue the cargo ship.

The De Xin Hai and its 25 crew members were seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean about 700 miles east of the lawless Somali coastline.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said China has launched a “contingency mechanism” in the wake of the hijacking and ordered missions abroad to verify developments and notify relevant countries.

It has also issued warnings to Chinese ships to stay away from the area “in case of accident or danger.”

“We will continue to follow closely the developments and make all-out efforts to rescue the hijacked ship and personnel,” he said, without elaborating on details.

The bulk carrier De Xin Hai was hijacked Monday about 550 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off Somalia’s eastern coast. The European Union Naval Force said Tuesday the ship was 650 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia and appears to be headed toward there.

John Harbour, a commander with the British Royal Navy who serves with the EU Naval Force, said the UK Maritime Trade Organization in Bahrain called the ship but received no response. An EU force aircraft is monitoring the ship and reported seeing four pirates on deck.

The De Xin Hai is owned by the Chinese Ocean Shipping Company and was carrying coal from India to South Africa when it was seized.
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The ship had been dragging two skiffs behind it, much like the kind of skiffs that pirates have been known to use to hijack ships in the waters off Somalia.

Let’s see what happens. I think this is a very bad case of biting the hand that feeds them; China has a huge investment in Africa, buying up their resources left and right. And for this they get hijacked? Major insult. Huge loss of face. I think it calls for more than just a rescue effort. I think it calls for more than mere reprisals. I think it calls for the evil yellow hordes to descend and to do some serious bitch slapping of these hos. Obama would not dare to speak out against such an action. China owns his ass and he knows it.

My only concern is that if such an incursion happens, China won’t go home afterwards. On the third hand, a lawless shithole like Somalia needs an iron handed tyranny to keep it behaving, and China fits that bill perfectly.

Fortunately or unfortunately, China will probably do little more than negotiate a ransom. At most they attack the ship and kill the pirates. And probably lose half the crew in the process. But that doesn’t really matter. They’ll spin the story however it works best for them, and the West will swallow every tasty sticky drop. Because right now, China holds all the chips, and can do whatever it wants.

Somali pirates have recently ramped up attacks after a period of quiet during poor weather. They use sophisticated equipment and so-called larger “mother ships” to enable them to strike hundreds of miles offshore. The multimillion-dollar ransoms they share are a fortune in their impoverished and war-ravaged country.

A total of 146 people, including the crew of the De Xin Hai, are currently being held hostage by pirates.

I strongly hope that the pirates have cracked open a really nasty Misfortune Cookie with this order of take-out. One with angry dragons inside. And it would be damn high time if they did.

Imagine that. I’m rooting for our undeclared but perpetual enemies very best friends and trading partners to take up arms in a big way against a gang of punks that Evil Boosh or Teh Won could obliterate in a matter of hours but don’t have the guts for.

And another thing ... it seems to me that when I did my previous pirate post, there were only 82 hostages. Now there are 148, including these 25. Guess I missed a few ship’s worth of hijackings, even though I check the ICC Pirate News twice a week.

Posted by Drew458     on 10/20/2009 at 08:38 AM   
Filed Under: • CHINA in the news • Pirates, aarrgh! •  
• Comments (6) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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