Russian ship carrying 33 T-72 tanks is pirated of the coast of Somolia!!

[sportsfan41]

Does this seem a bit strange to anyone? I'm aware of the pirate problems around Somolia, however if you read the article it says that Russia had sent a partol boat to head that way one day before this incident took place.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,428582,00.html

[UKPat02]

Incidents like this is why I don't really fear Russia sending ships to Venezuela.

[Wireman]

That's embaressing. However, I would disappear fast if I were the pirates.

[titletownclown]

Ironic that a boat full of TANKS is pirated!!

[HOMELESS CAMEL]

This is the 61st attack off Somalia this year, and pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew members, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia.

 

Middleton said it was unclear how the pirates might react if confronted by military action, noting that they have fled from authorities in the past. On the other hand, he said, they are usually well-armed and organized and are based in an unstable country — Somalia.

 

****Maybe they could break into a song and dance routine. That would be great and I would watch Fox News for 10 minutes to see that. :lol:

[sportsfan41]

That's embaressing. However, I would disappear fast if I were the pirates.

 

I was thinking the same, or if I was in charge of the shipment might consider falling off the radar for a while as well.

[Wireman]

I was thinking the same, or if I was in charge of the shipment might consider falling off the radar for a while as well.

 

Its almost unbelievable that a ship carrying tanks off the coast of Somalia wouldn't be more protected. They must be a bunch of morons.

[sportsfan41]

Its almost unbelievable that a ship carrying tanks off the coast of Somalia wouldn't be more protected. They must be a bunch of morons.

 

I had also thought that as well. If you're Russian, do you feel somewhat disrespected? Like pirates think they can just steal your military equipment just like you're anyone else. If this happened to the US I'd be ticked and want to know how they let something like this happen.

[Dlbdonn]

It wasn't a Russian ship . It was Ukrainian . Same part of the world , but entirely different country .

[sportsfan41]

It wasn't a Russian ship . It was Ukrainian . Same part of the world , but entirely different country .

 

You are correct, they're Russian tanks, that were being transported by a Ukrainian ship. Foxnews webiste has a much more in depth article on their front page now.

[PepRock01]

This doesn't much concern me as the T-72 is no threat to an M1 Abrams anyway.

 

Although the biggest issue here is that there are still very active and successful pirates out there. Where's the Royal Navy when you need them?

[Jim Schue]

This doesn't much concern me as the T-72 is no threat to an M1 Abrams anyway.

 

Although the biggest issue here is that there are still very active and successful pirates out there. Where's the Royal Navy when you need them?

 

T-72s are pretty outdated, if I recall correctly. Weren't they using those in the early '60s?

[PepRock01]

T-72s are pretty outdated, if I recall correctly. Weren't they using those in the early '60s?

 

 

No, in the 70's. The Russians were not terribly creative about their titles, usually the year of a tank is when it either debuted or when development started. They were always prone to breakdown though. They, outside of the T-80 were top of the line Soviet hardware around the time of Desert Storm. There was considerable curiosity as to how it would perform against the M1. They were decimated by the Abrams. To people not equipped with more modern weapons they can be a threat, but to NATO equipped countries, they are nothing to write home about.

[DADDY CAT]

I have a question. Would the US have been worried about tanks being sold to Somalia for any reason? Could the pirate thing be a smoke screen to provide the tanks to Somalia somehow?

[hoopboy]

I have a question. Would the US have been worried about tanks being sold to Somalia for any reason? Could the pirate thing be a smoke screen to provide the tanks to Somalia somehow?

 

Oliver Stone?