MV Sirius Star: Difference between revisions
m interwiki hr |
m →Hijacking: "as well as possibly two British nationals" removed: tautology (and somewhat anglo-centric!) |
||
| Line 95: | Line 95: | ||
Pirates take over oil tanker with British crew on board}}</ref> |
Pirates take over oil tanker with British crew on board}}</ref> |
||
Because the oil tanker was carrying its full load, the ship's deck would be low to the water. This could make it easier for pirates to climb aboard with grappling equipment and ladders during hijacking attack. It is not clear if there was a security team on the vessel.<ref name="Somali pirates seize supertanker loaded with crude">{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZeyeAHtrDVQhPXkHEQd_aeCPCWQD94GSET00|title=Somali pirates seize supertanker loaded with crude|first=BARBARA SURK|date=November 18 2008|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2008-11-18}}</ref> The crew, consisting of 25 members from the United Kingdom, Croatia, Poland, Philippines and Saudi Arabia |
Because the oil tanker was carrying its full load, the ship's deck would be low to the water. This could make it easier for pirates to climb aboard with grappling equipment and ladders during hijacking attack. It is not clear if there was a security team on the vessel.<ref name="Somali pirates seize supertanker loaded with crude">{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZeyeAHtrDVQhPXkHEQd_aeCPCWQD94GSET00|title=Somali pirates seize supertanker loaded with crude|first=BARBARA SURK|date=November 18 2008|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2008-11-18}}</ref> The crew, consisting of 25 members from the United Kingdom, Croatia, Poland, Philippines and Saudi Arabia, are reported to be safe.<ref name="Somali pirates hijack Saudi Arabian-owned oil tanker " /> It is estimated that for the pirates to reach the ''Sirius Star'', they must have voyaged south for three to four days.<ref name="Somali pirates hijack Saudi Arabian-owned oil tanker ">{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/18/content_10372938.htm|title=Somali pirates hijack Saudi Arabian-owned oil tanker |date=2008-11-18|work=www.chinaview.cn |publisher=XINHUA Net|accessdate=2008-11-18}}</ref> |
||
On November 18, 2008, the pirates opened talks with Vela. The company reported in a press release that the entire crew remains safe and that "We… are working toward their safe and speedy return," leaving open the possibility of ransom payment.<ref name=vela-hijack>{{cite web|url=http://www.vela.ae/news.php?id=64|title=Vela Press Release|date=November 18 2008|accessdate=2008-11-18}}</ref> |
On November 18, 2008, the pirates opened talks with Vela. The company reported in a press release that the entire crew remains safe and that "We… are working toward their safe and speedy return," leaving open the possibility of ransom payment.<ref name=vela-hijack>{{cite web|url=http://www.vela.ae/news.php?id=64|title=Vela Press Release|date=November 18 2008|accessdate=2008-11-18}}</ref> |
||
Revision as of 19:45, 19 November 2008
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (November 2008) |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Liberia | |
| Name | MV Sirius Star |
| Owner | Vela International Marine Ltd.[1] |
| Operator | Vela International Marine Ltd.[1] |
| Builder | Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd., Okpo, South Korea[1] |
| Laid down | October 29, 2007[1] |
| Launched | March 28, 2008.[2] |
| Homeport | Monrovia[1] |
| Identification | IMO No. 9384198 / Callsign A8NA7[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | oil tanker[1] |
| Tonnage | 162,252 GT[1] |
| Length | 332 metres (1,089 ft)[1] |
| Beam | 58 metres (190 ft)[1] |
| Draft | 22 metres (72 ft)[1] |
| Capacity | 318,000 DWT[1] |
MV Sirius Star is an oil tanker owned and operated by Vela International Marine.[3] With a length overall of 1,090 feet (330 m) and a capacity of 2,000,000 barrels (320,000,000 L) of crude oil, the ship is classified as a very large crude carrier or VLCC.[3]
Sirius Star was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Okpo, Geoje, South Korea. The keel was laid on October 29, 2007 and the ship was launched on March 28, 2008.[2][1] The ship is one of 24 tankers owned and operated by Vela, of which 19 are VLCCs. Vela, based in the United Arab Emirates is a subsidary of the Saudi Arabian state oil company Saudi Aramco. Since its launch, the ship has been registered under the Liberian flag and homeported in Monrovia.[1]
The ship received international government and media attention when it was hijacked by Somali pirates on November 15, 2008.[4]As a result of the attack, the Sirius Star is the largest ship ever to have been captured by pirates.[5]
Hijacking
On November 17, 2008, the U.S. Navy announced that the Sirius Star had been hijacked by Somali pirates. Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said the pirates hijacked the very large crude carrier at about 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 15, while it was southbound, about 450 nautical miles (520 mi; 830 km) southeast of the coast of Kenya — the farthest out to sea Somali pirates have struck.[6][7] This is the largest vessel ever to be hijacked. The vessel was carrying a full load of 2,000,000 barrels (320,000,000 L) of crude oil—more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil production output, and worth at least US$100 million[8]—and was bound for the United States via the Cape of Good Hope.[9] According to the United States Navy, the pirates anchored Sirius Star on Monday 17 November near the Somali port of Eyl, which is a pirate haven and contains many ships held for ransom.[10]
Because the oil tanker was carrying its full load, the ship's deck would be low to the water. This could make it easier for pirates to climb aboard with grappling equipment and ladders during hijacking attack. It is not clear if there was a security team on the vessel.[11] The crew, consisting of 25 members from the United Kingdom, Croatia, Poland, Philippines and Saudi Arabia, are reported to be safe.[12] It is estimated that for the pirates to reach the Sirius Star, they must have voyaged south for three to four days.[12]
On November 18, 2008, the pirates opened talks with Vela. The company reported in a press release that the entire crew remains safe and that "We… are working toward their safe and speedy return," leaving open the possibility of ransom payment.[13]
Impact
The attack came soon after naval forces from NATO, Russia, and India began to patrol the Horn of Africa region, in response to the MV Faina hijacking seven weeks earlier and many other incidents. However, these patrols focus further north, especially near the Gulf of Aden, and the attack came as a surprise. A British intelligence expert commented that "there will never be enough warships" to secure so much of the Indian Ocean by patrol.[6]
This attack has shown that the pirates are now operating in an area of over 1,100,000 square miles (2,800,000 km2),[14] which extends beyond the recently-established international patrols closer to the Horn of Africa.[15] BBC News has reported that news of the attack raised crude oil prices on global markets.[9]
The hijacking was shocking because it highlighted the vulnerability of even very large ships and pointed to widening ambitions and capabilities among ransom-hungry pirates who have carried out a surge of attacks this year off Somalia. To attack so large a vessel and so far south of Somalia presents a nearly impossible security problem for the anti-piracy naval task force.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "SIRIUS STAR - Summary". Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- ^ a b "Sirius Star Launching Ceremony". Vela International. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- ^ a b McCann, Sarah More (2008-11-17). "Somali pirates attack tanker loaded with oil". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ Walker, Robert (2008-11-18). "Pirates pass open water test". BBC. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- ^ "Saudi super-tanker taken to Somali pirate lair". Google News. AFP. 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- ^ a b "Somali pirates seize supertanker loaded with crude".
- ^ AP, "Somali Pirates Hijack Saudi Tanker", (Washington, D.C.), Express, November 18, 2008, p. 8.
- ^ Philp, Catherine (2008-11-18). "Somali pirates hijack Saudi oil tanker with Britons on board". The Times. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ a b "Pirates capture Saudi oil tanker". BBC. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- ^ "Pirates take over oil tanker with British crew on board".
- ^ "Somali pirates seize supertanker loaded with crude". Associated Press. November 18 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "Somali pirates hijack Saudi Arabian-owned oil tanker". www.chinaview.cn. XINHUA Net. 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- ^ "Vela Press Release". November 18 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "Pirates take 'super tanker' towards Somalia". CNN. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- ^ AP, "Somali Pirates Hijack Saudi Tanker", (Washington, D.C.), Express, November 18, 2008, p. 8.
External links
- Template:DNV name
- Coordination marée noire : Sirius Star