Dramatic end to audacious piracy heist

The audacious heist by pirates of the Saudi-owned tanker, MV Sirius Star, in November ended on a happy note at week’s end for the vessel and her 25-member crew who were released after a ransom of US$3 million was paid in most unusual fashion – a canister dropped by parachute from a small aircraft. But for the five Somali pirates it was a less than positive outcome when their small boat capsized and all five on board drowned. So ended one of the most gripping modern-day piracy sagas which led to even international maritime experts and seasoned seafarers shaking their heads in wonderment that a ragtag band of armed men in small speed boats would have the pluck to attack this, the largest target to date. Owned by Saudi Aramco and operated by its shipping arm Vela International Marine, the Sirius Star, only launched last year and worth around US$148 million, was en route to the US with two million barrels of oil, representing one-third of Saudi Arabia’s daily production. In what was to prove yet another first for pirates, who usually operate fairly close to the coast of Somali, the VLCC with her US$100 million cargo was seized far out to sea, 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, the route around the Cape of Good Hope chosen specifically to avoid piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden. At around the same time as the release of the Sirius Star, pirates also freed an 82 849dwt Turkish Bulk carrier Yassa Neslihan and her crew after an unspecified ransom was paid by her owners. With the EU’s new anti-piracy drive, code-named Atalanta, kicking in last month off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, shipping experts say the first tentative signs point to the efforts of the world’s navies beginning to have a pronounced effect on the activities of these seaborne terrorists. On January 4 a French warship foiled attacks on Croatia and Panama-flagged cargo ships, eight suspected pirates subsequently being handed over to the Somali authorities. China is considering whether to add its naval voice to the antipiracy drive and Japan is in the process of presenting a bill to parliament seeking approval to also join in the fight.