Sometimes Crime Does Pay. Or Does It?

A few months back, Somali pirates hijacked a Saudi super-tanker filled with oil. Yesterday, they got their $3 million ransom delivered by parachute to the underway tanker but then things may have taken a turn.

Five of the Somali pirates who released a hijacked oil-laden Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a reported $3 million ransom after their small boat capsized, a pirate and port town resident said Saturday.
Pirate Daud Nure says the boat with eight people on board overturned in a storm after dozens of pirates left the Sirius Star following a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden that ended Friday.
He said five people died and three people reached shore after swimming for several hours. Daud Nure was not part of the pirate operation but knew those involved.

It's nice that news agencies have 'pirates' not involved in specific hijackings on speed dial in order to provide expert analysis. The successful pirate knows he has to diversify to stay ahead of the competition, to build a brand name if you will.

Not everyone is convinced by this story however. Greyhawk points out that in the pictures the seas aren't exactly as described.

Who knows? This maybe a D.B. Cooper story for the 21st Century.

Posted by: DrewM. at 11:53 PM

Comments

1 Five dead?
Good start.

Posted by: harrison at January 10, 2009 11:59 PM (Gv4O0)

2
Classic.
Whoever coughed the ransom up was outsmarted by pirates not smart enough to not drown themselves.

Posted by: WonderWartHog at January 11, 2009 12:01 AM (LVT6e)

3 In regards to the weather & such, that photo could well be deceptive. I suspect that those waves are quite a bit higher than they first appear (squiddie morons can chime in on this).

But I'm betting on a little trinitrotoluene "surprise" buried in the cash.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 11, 2009 12:06 AM (MKNSy)

4 The wages of fear.

Posted by: SlaveDog at January 11, 2009 12:08 AM (Dn0LG)

5 Whaddya call 5 dead pirates and 3 million dollars in the water?

A treasure hunt!

Posted by: Unclefacts at January 11, 2009 12:11 AM (M+Vfm)

6 I suppose we'll soon be hearing about a pirate bail out.

Posted by: SlaveDog at January 11, 2009 12:16 AM (Dn0LG)

7 Seas don't look all that rough, no, but it's possible that they capsized either due to the unwieldy cargo or from jumping around like morons. Depends on the boat they were using, speed and handling, etc. As for the waves, sure they're probly higher than they look, and there could've been a squall or riptide, I suppose. Wouldn't want to swim in it, as the swells are likely deeper/rougher in that sense, and cold too.

Posted by: Evil midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight at January 11, 2009 12:21 AM (gIga4)

From Yahoo News:

Abukar Haji, uncle of one of the dead pirates, blamed the naval surveillance for the accident that killed his pirate nephew Saturday.

"The boat the pirates were traveling in capsized because it was running at high speed because the pirates were afraid of an attack from the warships patrolling around," he said.

"There has been human and monetary loss but what makes us feel sad is that we don't still have the cash. Some of it washed up on the shore, but we fear most of it is a total loss. And at this point we feel that we're just too big to fail."

Well, that's what he said.

Posted by: SlaveDog at January 11, 2009 12:22 AM (Dn0LG)

9 Those tankers give carriers competition for biggest ship in the water, so there's your comparison

Posted by: Evil midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight at January 11, 2009 12:22 AM (gIga4)

10 Ah, thanks Slavedog - they fkd up b/c they lost their heads. Makes sense.

Posted by: Evil midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight at January 11, 2009 12:24 AM (gIga4)

That's about the worst storm that I've ever seen. That ship ois so huge that you can't even see the whitecaps. /sarcasm.

The boat capsized because of the CIA nerve gas that was released when the canister was opened.. or so I heard.

Posted by: Max Entropy at January 11, 2009 12:32 AM (4gHqM)

12
Heard there's lotsa sharks around there. Bet those pirates tasted just like chicken.

Posted by: WonderWartHog at January 11, 2009 12:35 AM (LVT6e)

13 Bet those pirates tasted just like chicken.

New KFC Chickeneers!

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 11, 2009 12:41 AM (MKNSy)

14 12
Heard there's lotsa sharks around there. Bet those pirates tasted just like chicken
Chig┊
FIFY

Posted by: sickinmass at January 11, 2009 12:42 AM (/i4dU)

15 Pirates suck and should be hunted down like dogs and killed. That said, the fact that it was the douchenozzle terrorist-supporting Saudis who had to cough up the 3 mil ransom does not make me sad.

Posted by: OregonMuse at January 11, 2009 12:42 AM (XUV9W)

16 The New KFC Buckeneer of Chicken, maybe.

Posted by: harrison at January 11, 2009 12:44 AM (Gv4O0)

17 5 pirates destiny....fishfood
Win.. x5.

Posted by: sickinmass at January 11, 2009 12:44 AM (/i4dU)

18
New KFC Chickeneers!
AAAAARRRR, Y'all!

Posted by: WonderWartHog at January 11, 2009 12:49 AM (LVT6e)

Pirate Daud Nure

Thousands of years of pirate history, and the best name this asshole can come up with is Daud Nure????

I hereby officially dub thee Daud "I Suck" Nure.

So mote it be.

Posted by: Fa Cube Itches at January 11, 2009 12:57 AM (8MuSQ)

Five of the Somali pirates who released a hijacked oil-laden Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a reported $3 milion in ransom

It's hard to swim with all those AK-47 rounds in your back that your fellow piriates provided.

Posted by: robtr at January 11, 2009 01:03 AM (uJzOr)

21 No, no. I kill the bus driver.

Posted by: Masked Somali Pirate at January 11, 2009 01:11 AM (8MuSQ)

22 She moves in mysterious ways.

Posted by: tachyonshuggy at January 11, 2009 01:53 AM (uT8RC)

23 Sea Kittens need to eat too.

Posted by: Joe at January 11, 2009 02:05 AM (0Gde6)

24 Not everyone is convinced by this story however. Greyhawk points out that in the pictures the seas aren't exactly as described.

As the British Merchant Marines would say "like a mill pond". They could have paddled away in wading pool toys without getting their turbans wet.

Posted by: kbdabear at January 11, 2009 02:34 AM (miw86)

I think Greyhawk is right. Right now, the weather off the Somali coast is perfect for working on your tan or just taking the ankle-biters out for a splash.

Or like robtr suggested, a dispute that ended up in Somali pirates and a Zodiac RIB full of large, ragged holes.

Either way, it's a good day!

Posted by: ErikW at January 11, 2009 03:42 AM (hKtiw)

26 Arr me boy; Blackbeard be laughin' in his grave.

Posted by: Robert at January 11, 2009 03:52 AM (VotgB)

27 The sea looks calm, but the ship is huge. I know from personal experience that even a 3 foot chop can sink the kind of overloaded boats these guys were using. I'm just hoping that firing up the tanker made a wake big enough to swamp them. Or maybe the SA special forces are better than I assume.

Posted by: JDB at January 11, 2009 04:43 AM (t2Fem)

28 How come our Navy is taking pictures and not attacking the pirates?

Posted by: Capitan Hope at January 11, 2009 06:02 AM (0eJbm)

29 I don't get why pirates are not just killed when trying to get away? There's not alot of places to hide. A helicopter with a couple of explody things should be able to do it. Somali waters???, show me the line. oops! Sorry.

Posted by: Iggey Schnetz at January 11, 2009 06:08 AM (K9qui)

30 It's nice that news agencies have 'pirates' not involved in specific hijackings on speed dial in order to provide expert analysis.

Why, yes, as a matter of fact, they do have them on speed dial.

Posted by: Eric at January 11, 2009 06:11 AM (quZLX)

31 This is what happens when you shut down community pools.

Posted by: Pinandpuller at January 11, 2009 06:45 AM (s/EWa)

32 Real shame about all that dangerous...weather, yeah, that's it.

Posted by: Blackwater Naval Division at January 11, 2009 08:30 AM (qsGH+)

I guess they shouldn't have asked for the ransom in gold bullion, eh?

Posted by: andycanuck at January 11, 2009 09:51 AM (55TIb)

34 Cruelty to pirates is a Dick Cheney atrocity!

Posted by: Code Pink at January 11, 2009 10:15 AM (iafWn)

35 Yesterday, they got their $3 million ransom rescue plan delivered by parachute Unicorns.

Seems they believe in hope and change.

Posted by: JavaJoe at January 11, 2009 11:41 AM (Am6n/)

36 Retired Navy Chief here. Yes that there is pretty rough sea. I spent a lot of time off the coast of Africa. If you look in the distance in the pic you can see white caps. On the near side of the pic the tanker is probably blocking some cross wind. And that's good weather (I don't see a storm).

Posted by: Oxrock at January 11, 2009 11:55 AM (Vkmv1)

It's quite remarkable but apparently "pirate" has now become a legitimate title!

"Pirate Daud Nure" . I never thought I would see the day when criminal activity would be so rewarded. What's next? Senior Pirate ? Rapist First Class? And yet the AP has yet to actually describe a terrorist as such.

Posted by: MP at January 11, 2009 12:23 PM (G0CxD)

38 'Iggey " The "pirates" seem to be offshoots of a the same criminal enterprise. They have multiple ships/crews held ransom. The intentional termination of a few would bring about the deaths of many hostages.

Posted by: MP at January 11, 2009 12:26 PM (G0CxD)

39 Well, I DO have the Chikan 1st Class ribbon with cluster but I'm only supposed to wear it in Tokyo.

Actually, the police there INSIST I wear it...

Posted by: richard mcenroe at January 11, 2009 12:35 PM (DBS+D)

40 "But I'm betting on a little trinitrotoluene "surprise" buried in the cash. "

Semtex is a stable globally-recognized currency...

Posted by: richard mcenroe at January 11, 2009 12:37 PM (DBS+D)

41 Semtex is a stable globally-recognized currency...

I have it on good authority that Semtex smells an awful lot like marzipan.

"Good authority" in this case being every cheap spy novel published in the '80s.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 11, 2009 12:48 PM (MKNSy)

42 38 'Iggey " The "pirates" seem to be offshoots of a the same criminal enterprise. They have multiple ships/crews held ransom. The intentional termination of a few would bring about the deaths of many hostages."

Interesting, but I'm not sure how effective that would be..just how loyal to their needs are they? Once dead your needs are pretty limited. Killing your hostages would be a death sentence and assure security escorts in the furture along with the gloves coming off.

Even though the seas are vast areas, the area around the individual ships is small. Armed escorts on the water and in the air around the hot zones would at least deter many. At least it would seem so. I understand what you mean though and it does make sense.

How many ships are held hostage at any one time?

Posted by: Iggey Schnetz at January 11, 2009 01:04 PM (K9qui)

43 41 Semtex is a stable globally-recognized currency...

Something for me to be really proud of, huh?

Seems like my ex-fellow countrymen have developed an international reputation for terrorist supplies and sweet looking babes in porn flicks. Lucky me.

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 11, 2009 01:07 PM (iafWn)

Well, that's taking the "money laundering" the Saudis were hoping to achieve to a new level.

I'm not buying the storm story because the other pirates made it safely ashore with their loot. And these are Somali pirates, one would assume they've grown up in the area working on fishing boats and are pretty sea worthy on the whole. So, I say either human stupidity on their part or a nice parting gift from one of the governments whose ships are now patrolling the area.

Posted by: ParanoidInSeattle at January 11, 2009 01:16 PM (AJ4xq)

Did D.B. Cooper get eaten by Sea Kittens? I thought it more likely his corpse was consumed by raccoons and possums.

I just love the irony of pirates collecting their booty only to drown trying to bring it in. Sweet.

Posted by: Joe at January 11, 2009 01:19 PM (+GRGs)

46 Me thinks their capsized boat was sunk. The money probably had a bomb in it. They took it on the boat and boom, no boat. Of course, that would be a really mean thing to do to such nice pirates :-)

Posted by: Phil at January 11, 2009 01:44 PM (AOOwS)

47 This has the making of a really cool, novel/movie if someone with talent got hold of it. Throw in some corrupt Somali government officials, some SAS commandos (nothing against our guys, I just like the multi-national flavor), NRO and a secret cargo. It's not just a tanker, folks.

Posted by: ErikW at January 11, 2009 03:22 PM (hKtiw)

48 They should have parachuted in Joe Biden, International Man of Mystery, square jawed defender of freedom, bon vivant extraordinaire, notorious playboy par excellent. And he's wearing really cool shades, too.

Old Smokin' Joe would have single handedly taken down the entire ship - pirates, hostages, and oil - straight to the bottom of the deep blue sea, all by handsome self...

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 11, 2009 05:59 PM (iafWn)

49 JDB (#27) has the beginning of the right idea.

Suppose you had a nuclear sub. Get it just below the surface, bow down at about a 15 degree angle, with the stern aimed toward the pirates' boat.

Then gun it.

Instant stormy seas. The best part is, the sub's deep and a mile away before anybody thinks to look for it.

Note: I do not even seriously propose this as an explanation, but damn it'd be cool, right?

Regards,
Ric

Posted by: Ric Locke at January 11, 2009 07:06 PM (BeWLJ)

50 Five dead somoli pirates LETS HANG THE SURVIVORS

Posted by: Spurwing Plover at January 12, 2009 11:31 AM (4tmdX)

51 I'm concerned about the parachute used to deliver the load. It appears to be a steerable parafoil instead of the round parachutes commonly used for airdrops. As far as I know, only the US military is using the Sherpa Autonomous Parafoil Delivery System (AKA- GPS-Guided Parachute). Does this mean that our Navy delivered the ransom money?

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