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PILLAGING PIRATES
Pirates took just 16 minutes to steal super-tanker: military report

by Staff Writers
 Paris (AFP) Nov 20, 2008
 Pirates took just 16 minutes from boarding to seizing control of a 100-million-dollar-laden Saudi oil super-tanker in the Indian Ocean, a military report obtained by AFP showed Thursday.

The report also described the Sirius Star -- with woeful defences, restricted manoeuvrability and speed capacities owing to its 319,000-tonne oil cargo -- as a lumbering prey for two speedboats carrying well-armed pirates also applying the element of surprise by operating well out of their normal range.

The Somali pirates approached the tanker, the length of three football fields, at 0648 GMT Saturday and were able to climb aboard using the simplest of rope and hook techniques.

At 0704 GMT, Britain's Maritime Component Command centre in Bahrain reported that the tanker had been taken by the pirates.

At 1534 GMT, Britain's Maritime Trade Organisation in Dubai reported that 10 pirates, carrying Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-launchers, were in control of the giant ship.

According to the latter organisation, the first batch of pirates were able to slow the tanker down sufficiently for their colleagues to board easily.

A 25-million-dollar ransom was demanded Thursday -- with a 10-day deadline -- by one of the pirates on board in a telephone conversation with AFP, amid calls for tougher action to end threats to one of the world's key maritime routes.

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PILLAGING PIRATES
Iran says hijacked ship and crew safe
 Tehran (AFP) Nov 20, 2008
 Iran made contact on Thursday with a hijacked Hong Kong-registered cargo ship it had chartered and said all 25 crew members were safe and sound, the state IRNA news agency reported.






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