TA-ATTACKS: Pirates Board Gas Tanker in Indonesia, Make Off With Equipment

Earlier today, pirates with automatic rifles boarded a gas tanker docked at a port. No one was harmed in the attack even though the pirates opened fire. The pirates stole only equipment and then made off. Indonesian waters are where 21 of the worlds 79 pirate attacks have occured in the past three months.



Many US officials fear that terrorists could easily hijack a gas or oil tanker and then ram it into a major port. Such an attack could easily cripple global trade if carried out effectively. The waterway known as the Singapore strait is only 960km wide and through it approximately half of the worlds oil supply passes each year.

Indonesia, Malaysia. and Singapore are taking steps to reduce the number of pirate attacks but it seems little can be done.

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Pirate Killings Hit 10-Year High Worldwide

[edit on 7/28/2004 by lockheed]

[edit on 7/28/2004 by lockheed]

[edit on 7-28-2004 by Valhall]

i thought it was amusing when i saw the title... i never knew there were really pirates anymore! i could just see captain jack sparrow brandishing an ak-47...

besides that though, that's really scary that such an attack could so easily happen. if someting did happen, and a tanker were crashed into a major port that would be devastating. how fast do thsoe tankers travel though? and i'm sure they're kept fairly well tracked, right? so if one was on a dangerous heading, i'm sure something or someone could be scrambled up in a jiffy to at least disable the craft.

also, what sort of equipment did they steal?

The Port of Houston.
The Port of Houston is a major location for the transport of gas and oil. It also has a nearby refinery. My fear for the Port of Houston has been a terrorist attack where "pirates" board the ship, rig it with explosives, and then force the crew to finish their trip into this port. Once there they blow the ship, setting of a chain reaction of explosions that levels the place. An attack like this would put a serious dent into our economy.

No one knows what equipment they stole yet,

Even though Indonesia has more attacks than anywhere in the world, Nigera has more deaths per pirate attack.

www.irinnews.org...

Check that article out for more info.