A tense standoff has developed in waters off Somalia over an Iranian merchant ship laden with a mysterious cargo that was hijacked by pirates. Somali pirates suffered skin burns, lost hair and fell gravely ill “within days” of boarding the MV Iran Deyanat. Some of them died.
Andrew Mwangura, the director of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, told the Sunday Times: “We don’t know exactly how many, but the information that I am getting is that some of them had died. There is something very wrong about that ship.” The vessel’s declared cargo consists of “minerals” and “industrial products”. But officials involved in negotiations over the ship are convinced that it was sailing for Eritrea to deliver small arms and chemical weapons to Somalia’s Islamist rebels.
The drama over the Iran Deyanat comes as speculation grew this week about whether the South African Navy would send a vessel to join the growing multinational force in the region. A naval spokesman, Lieutenant-Commander Greyling van den Berg, told the Sunday Times that the navy had not been ordered by the government to become involved in “the Somali pirate issue”. About 22000 ships a year pass through the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden, where regional instability and “no-questions-asked” ransom payments have led to a dramatic rise in attacks on vessels by heavily armed Somali raiders in speedboats.
The Iran Deyanat was sailing in those waters on August 21, past the Horn of Africa and about 80 nautical miles southeast of Yemen, when it was boarded by about 40 pirates armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. They were alleged members of a crime syndicate said to be based at Eyl, a small fishing village in northern Somalia. The ship is owned and operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, or IRISL, a state-owned company run by the Iranian military.
According to the US Treasury Department, the IRISL regularly falsifies shipping documents to hide the identity of end users, uses generic terms to describe shipments and operates under various covers to circumvent United Nations sanctions. The ship set sail from Nanjing, China, at the end of July. According to its manifest, it was heading for Rotterdam where it would unload 42500 tons of iron ore and “industrial products” purchased by a German client. At Eyl, the ship was secured by more pirates — about 50 on board, and another 50 on shore.
But within days those who had boarded the ship developed mysterious health trouble.
But IRISL has denied that — and threatened legal action against Mwangura. The company has reportedly paid the pirates 200000 — the first of several “ransom instalments”, but that, too, has been denied.
The good news is the ransom should go unpaid and the pirates get whats coming to them, the bad news could stem from what was really in the cargo hold and what is China’s involvement?
Obviously that N. Korean nuke aboard has sprung a leak.
Option 1: Sink it with all hands.
Option 2: Tow it over to the deepest water and do a number one.
Option 3. Gas everyone on board to death, then do a number two followed by a number one.
That explains the US interest in “rescuing” the ship. There had been several hijacking of the ships near Somalia but Americans never showed interest in any one of them. Why this “sudden” help from US is raising lots of suspicions.
As I have said before, US is nothing but bad news wherever it goes, they leave a trail of blood wherever they set their foot. Then they ask why the world hates them. Sheesh..
What happened to the crew? Were they effected in the same way? Were they ill before the pirates showed up? Or did someone get into something they shouldn’t have?
#2 z-man – While I don’t disagree with your view of world U.S. opinion, I don’t get the connection here. I didn’t see where the U.S. was involved in this incident.
#3. Apparently the crew was fine, they didnt enter the cargo bay. But it was probably some of those fine Chinese / Cadbury chocolates or baby milk.
The Pirates really need their own Blog. They do a great job of bringing some nasty deals to light. Such as Russian tanks and now Chinese Nukes. Aside from the kidnapping, killing and ransom part, They make great news. How come no one else ever discovers these things? Green Peace should look into hiring these guys!
I call bull shit on zorkor’s statement – nowhere was there any mention of the US getting involved in this. The South African Navy was mentioned and if you go to the real article they mention the Russian Navy. No US involvement at all.
Until these folks are willing to run around with a 100lb LEAD insulated container, and take a SLOW boat to the USA. I dont think we have a problem.
A non story here, except for the hijacking itself.
The boat took on industrial chemical or metals or whatever in China and was going to Germany.
Does anyone seriously think that China would load up a civilian cargo ship with Uranium? There are better ways to move this stuff and they know it.
The pirates took over the boat, got into the hold, and stirred things up.
What things? Dangerous chemicals and minerals. Both of which would cause the damage the pirates are having.
…I think I’ve played this mission already in CoD4.
#9. OK, so why isn’t it being declared? This is a non-story? Really? Then what constitutes a story in your opinion.
#7. Yes zorkor may be a troll…but he isn’t wrong about this.
Somalian Pirate Ship Surrounded By US Navy For Fear That Arms Onboard My Fall “Into The Wrong Hands”
“U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers have been deployed within 10 miles of the hijacked vessel and helicopters were circling overhead because of “great concern” over the possibility of the cargo falling “into the wrong hands,” Christensen said. At one point on Sunday, the captain of the Faina said a warship was about two miles away.”
What better way to smuggle than to use a civilian ship? Sneaky sneaky.
@#1: “Gas everyone on board to death, then do a number two followed by a number one.” – anyone on this blog with teenage interpretative mind? 🙂
#13 Phart joke.
McCullough – the story you linked to about the hijacked ship surrounded by the US seems to be a different ship. That one is carrying 33 T72 tanks.
The original story above is about a different ship carrying “industrial products”
#15. You may be correct, it appears to be 2 seperate incidents.
Whoa, hold on here… you do know there are two hijackings here right? This new one with the “mystery” cargo, and the Ukranian ship with the Russian weapons. Thats the one the US is interested in – I would hope the reasons are obvious.
Actually the US Navy as well as other NATO and none NATO navies have been very active in counter-pirate missions for some time now. This isn’t a case of the US sticking it’s nose where it doesn’t belong. International law is very clear on pirates.
They love the movie versions but will pretty much let everybody shoot at the real ones.
#7 = atmusky
Sure no will believe me when I say US = Bad news. You can expect no good news when US gets involved. No matter how much the US portrays itself as saviours of freedom and mankind, they always go for something real stinky, like oil, money or some more occupation of a 6th world country, Hey,the US has to find excuses to get his huge (useless)army busy somehow.
Now they are involving themselves with puny pirates over some fishy cargo. Expect the problem to become bigger now as US is rarely known as a problem solver.
#11 “#7. Yes zorkor may be a troll…but he isn’t wrong about this.”
Different ship… Different cargo. The link you gave is about an Africa bound vessel carrying T-72s.
Insecticide.
I wonder if anyone will start a pirate hunting safari.
Charge huge amounts to some wealthy folks, and arm them on an old cargo ship. Cruise near the pirates and let them come after you (stay in international water!). Not my type of adventure, but it ought to appeal to somebody.
I suppose the business/safari would probably be treated as pirates themselves and be sunk by someones navy though! 😀
#22 Put together a “Q-ship”. That would be fun.
Ukranian arms dealer “I have 33 T-72 tanks for sale, cheap”
Buyer “I’ll take em, where are they at?”
Arms dealer “Parked next to Chernobyl, In good shape, is nice”
Buyer “Ship em”
McCullough, it’s a non-story about radiation because there are a lot of things we commonly use in this world which cause the reported symptoms in high enough doses.
Heavy metals and industrial chemicals certainly qualify.
The pirates simply went into the hold, opened the containers to get some assessment of what ransom they can charge, inhaled the stuff, and got sick.
That’s all there is to it.
#22, What a crazy idea! It would both entertain and reduce piracy!
#25. “McCullough, it’s a non-story about radiation because there are a lot of things we commonly use in this world which cause the reported symptoms in high enough doses.”
And? What makes it a Non-story? Sorry your wrong, it’s an interesting story and thats all there is to it.
All right, I’ll give that the story is interesting as a bungled hijacking. Just not as a mystery radiation “James Bond” intrigue.
Unless we happen to be watching the X-files.
#27. Good :}
The person that said the US has never paid attention before is ill informed.
On the other hand these men need to hanged as proscribed in still existing international law.
New kind of “cruise” ship: Looks like a plum ready for the pickin’. Makes music like a plum ready to be plucked.
Full of good ol boys who have always wanted to kill a pirate!
Armed to the teeth, the whole family is armed.
Every porthole is a killing zone.
Fire is directed from stem to stern.
The bad guys won’t know what hit them!
We are looking for a thousand good guys who have $2250 per head and some real nice guns and ammo for the deadliest cruise ever.
Or try our neo fight (get it) class. For just $4,500, you will receive training, an uzi, plenty of clips and a night scope so you can get in on the action any time of the day.
Contribute to world peace. Kill a pirate.