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I received approximately 600 messages yesterday about this story:
A hijacked Saudi-owned supertanker carrying more than $100 million worth of crude oil is believed to have anchored off Somalia and its owners are working toward “the safe and speedy return” of the 25 crew, the owners said Tuesday.Oil apparently jumped on news of the successful seizure. The naval assets in the area have as yet been unwilling to storm the vessel, which puts the oil tanker into the same netherworld as a recently seized Ukrainian freighter. Once the pirates seize a ship and take hostages, navies are reluctant to mount rescue operations. Moreover, states are reluctant to take responsibility for captured pirates, as the outcome of legal proceedings resulting from such arrests are uncertain. Kenneth Anderson proposes rules of engagement designed to kill as many pirates as possible as quickly as possible, such that the legal problems of arrest and confinement don't arise. Seems like a good idea to me.A statement from Vela International, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabia-based oil giant Saudi Aramco, said the company was “awaiting further contact from the pirates in control of the vessel” who seized it some 480 miles off the coast of Somalia. Earlier reports said the 1,080-foot Sirius Star had been hijacked off the Kenyan coast.
--Robert Farley
