The statements in this article are based on reliable sources of information and are detailed at the end of this article
Text | Gu Xuan said history
Edit | Gu Xuan said history
What happens when pirates meet a fighting nation?
In 2010, a group of pirates took a fancy to an oil tanker with the Liberian flag, and it was a dazzle when they went up, but who knew that after boarding the ship, they found that there were actually Chinese and Russian flags inside.
They didn't give up and didn't leave directly, thinking about making another amount of money, but who knew that they directly gave the pirate world a textbook "call dad on the spot", so what happened at that time?
Which country is this tanker, and what changes have been made to the handling of piracy by the countries concerned after this incident?
01
Russian tanker flying the Liberian flag
At the beginning of the 21st century, Somali piracy has become more frequent, posing a significant threat to global maritime trade.
At first, many countries chose to pay ransoms for peace, and this compromise partly emboldened Somali pirates, who mistakenly believed that it was a lucrative business.
Somali pirates are concentrated along the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden, often armed with light weapons such as AK-47s and operating high-speed motorboats.
Their modus operandi is usually to chase and shoot merchant ships, then climb ropes to board merchant ships, take them hostage off the coast of Somalia, and negotiate with ship owners.
With the intensification of Somali piracy, international trade has been severely affected, and many merchant ships have had to take detours to avoid being targeted, which not only increases the cost of transportation, but also lengthens the transportation time.
In addition, in order to protect merchant ships from piracy, the navies of various countries have sent escort formations to the relevant waters, which has undoubtedly increased the military expenditures of various countries.
For Somalia itself, although piracy has brought some "benefits" to the local area, such illegal acts have seriously damaged the country's image and hindered normal economic development.
At the same time, piracy calls into question the position of the Somali Government in the international community.
The specific case of Somali pirates is the 2010 hijacking of the Big Goose tanker.
The tanker, which was carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil, was on its way from the port of Ningbo, China, to return home, when it was attacked by 11 Somali pirates while passing through the Gulf of Aden.
The pirates first strafed the tanker, destroying its weather radar and communications mast before attempting to board the ship.
However, because the crew was trained to do what to do in the face of pirates, they quickly shut down the ship's main engine and auxiliary engines and took refuge in a safe cabin, while sending a distress message to the surrounding Russian escort ships.
02
Quick
Faced with the difficult situation of locating the tanker on the other side, the pirates maliciously fired deadly rockets at the tanker, and Captain Tulitsins immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
He did not hesitate to turn off the engines and immediately instructed everyone to enter a solid and safe area, a decisive decision that not only protected the crew from the threat of pirates, but also bought valuable time for the rescue.
As soon as the pirates broke through the ship, they began to search for the crew, intending to use them as hostages for ransom. However, they were shocked to find out that the tanker was empty.
Despite their best efforts to break through the safety compartment, the sturdy design of the bulkheads meant that they had been unsuccessful.
After some searching, they tried to take the tanker away, but Tulitsins had turned off the power system beforehand, and despite their best efforts, they were unable to start the tanker. Eventually, the pirates spent a lot of time searching for valuable items.
At the same time, the Russian "Marshal Shaposhnikov" received an urgent distress signal and immediately reported it to the Moscow military.
President Medvedev gave the order to save the tanker no matter what. So, after more than 10 hours of sailing, the warship finally reached the vicinity of the tanker.
To the surprise of the military, the pirates had not yet escaped from the tanker, thanks in large part to the calm reaction and tactics of Captain Tulitsin. His decision made it impossible for the pirates to easily drive away the tanker or find the crew as hostages.
With the arrival of warships, the situation was reversed.
03
Handling of pirates
The Russian naval special forces, who received the notice, acted decisively, locked down to the deck of the tanker, launched a search and returned fire.
During the battle, one pirate was unfortunately killed by the Russian army, and the rest of the pirates scattered throughout the ship could not escape the pursuit of the Russian army. The crew put up a heroic resistance and subdued the three pirates who still wanted to resist, but by the moment their guns had long since been exhausted in the fierce battle with the Russians.
In less than half an hour, the group of pirates were all captured, but in the face of the captured pirates, everyone was in a difficult situation.
Internationally, there is no specific explanation of what to do with pirates who are caught, and handing them over to their home countries can lead to poor punishment, and direct release will not be able to calm the anger in the hearts of the crew.
While everyone was whirling, the tanker's captain, Yuri Tulitsins, came up with an ingenious solution: give them a dilapidated rubber boat and limited fuel and fresh water, and leave them to fend for themselves. This proposal was unanimously approved by the crew.
Although this approach does not completely solve the problem, it can protect the interests of the crew to the greatest extent possible, and at the same time does not violate the provisions of international law.
However, this was not a merciful act, as the three small boats could not return to land at all, and the fuel provided was only enough to sustain the voyage for a certain period of time.
The Russians have skillfully maintained the face of international law while preventing these pirates from continuing to pose a threat to other merchant ships and crews. This is not only a clever tool, but also within the boundaries of law and morality.
In the end, the Russian cruise ship represented by the "Moscow University" successfully sailed to the port of Ningbo on the southeast coast, and this successful anti-Japanese action added a new color to the friendly and mutually helpful relations between China and Russia.
At the same time, the pirates who once roamed the Gulf of Aden disappeared into the vast sea like drifters, and perhaps in the boundless ocean, they would repent of their crimes and become wanderers at sea.
Through the experience of this incident, the tanker Moskva has also strengthened security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, adding more safe areas on board the tanker and reinforcing the radar system to defend against the threat of similar pirate attacks.
Captain Tulitsins also became an example for many to follow, and his decisive decisions and resourceful response saved the lives of the entire ship and all the crew.
Since then, the Gulf of Aden's multinational joint forces, including NATO, the European Union and other countries, have strengthened the protection of merchant ships sailing through the region through escort operations and joint patrols.
Many countries have adopted new regulations and laws to ensure the arrest, prosecution and punishment of pirates. At the same time, an international cooperation mechanism has been established to assist in dealing with transnational piracy cases.
The resolution of the problem of piracy in Somalia involves a concerted effort by many countries, one of the key participants being Kenya. Kenya has played a key role in the fight against Somali piracy and has taken a number of measures to address this threat.
The Kenyan army is actively involved in international forces such as the United Nations Joint Anti-Piracy Mission in the Gulf of Aden (CTF 151), patrolling in coordination with warships of other countries to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia.
In addition, through the establishment of special courts to deal with piracy cases and the prosecution and sentencing of captured pirates, it has become one of the judicial centres for dealing with piracy in the region, providing an effective legal mechanism for the international community and strengthening the fight against piracy.
Even the oil tankers can't do it, and they still want to plunder the aircraft carrier, isn't this an ant hitting an elephant? A random plane taking off is enough for these pirates to drink a pot.
04
The reason why piracy is rampant
So why are Somali pirates so arrogant and robbing?
Somalia, a country located in eastern Africa, was once known as the pearl of the "Horn of Africa", with 5,510 kilometers of coastline and unique marine resources.
For hundreds of years, Somalia has been the home of industrious fishermen who depend on the sea for their livelihood and fishing for their livelihoods. At that time, the sea and coastline of Somalia were considered to be among the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
But with the advent of the colonial era and the outbreak of civil war, the prosperity of Somalia was rapidly destroyed, the country suffered from the aggression and exploitation of the colonizers, and the people's property and land were forcibly occupied.
At the same time, inter-tribal strife has led to a vicious cycle of civil war in Somalia. Brothers who were once heart-to-heart killed each other with weapons, and the communities they had worked so hard to build were destroyed.
The fighting has been going on for years, and the country's economy is in recession. Farmland and livestock farming have been abandoned, making life extremely difficult and people seeking other ways of livelihood.
Some unemployed young people see piracy as a dangerous and rewarding industry. They profit by raiding passing merchant ships, armed looters, and shipowners to extort huge ransoms.
The problem of Somali piracy has become a serious issue of regional security, and the problem of piracy must be addressed at the same time as the social and economic development of Somalia.
The only way out of poverty is to put the country on the path of peace and stability and to establish a sound system of government. By providing more education and job opportunities, young people will have more choices and hope.
In addition to combating piracy, the international community should provide economic and humanitarian assistance to Somalia. Build schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, provide jobs, and agricultural support to help the Somali people rebuild their country.
Only through such efforts can Somalia emerge from its predicament, allow the hard-working fishermen to rediscover their place, and the world to rediscover its once beautiful and peaceful land.
Reference Sources:
The rule of law is safe Xichuan Somali pirates mistakenly robbed a Russian oil tanker, and the ship was full of Chinese oil, how to deal with it in the end