S'pore ship hijacked in Gulf

[Ken Masters]

Jun 28, 2010
S'pore ship hijacked in Gulf

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In this photo taken in January, Somali pirates carry out preparations ahead of new attacks on ships sailing in the Gulf Of Aden. Pirates in the Gulf of Aden have hijacked a Singapore ship with 19 Chinese crew members on board. -- PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING - A SINGAPORE ship with 19 Chinese crew aboard was hijacked Monday by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the China Marine Rescue Centre said. The ship, called the 'Golden Blessing,' was travelling to India from Saudi Arabia when it was hijacked, the centre said on its website, adding that rescue efforts had begun. It gave no further details.

Heavily armed pirates using speedboats operate in the Gulf of Aden where they prey on ships, sometimes holding vessels for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or ship-owners. In October, a Chinese cargo ship called the Dexinhai with 25 crew members on board was captured by pirates northeast of the Seychelles as it was sailing to India from South Africa.

The vessel was held on the Somali coast and was only rescued at the end of December following the payment of a US$3.5 million (S$4.85 million) ransom. China has been active in international anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden since the end of 2008, sending at least four flotillas there. Unofficial figures show that 2009 was the most prolific year yet for Somali pirates, with more than 200 attacks - including 68 successful hijackings - and a total in ransoms believed to exceed US$50 million. -- AFP

 

[Ken Masters]

MPA confirms hijacked ship


Jun 28, 2010
MPA confirms hijacked ship

SINGAPORE'S Maritime Port Authority (MPA) has confirmed the hijacking of a Singapore-registered ship by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and is working with relevant government agencies and the ship owner to locate the vessel. An MPA statement said it received reports of the hijacked petroleum/chemical tanker Golden Blessing at 12.45 pm on Monday. The vessel was hijacked by pirates while transiting the Gulf of Aden.

'At that time of the incident, the vessel was reported to be on its way from Saudi Arabia to India, passing through the Gulf of Aden. There are 19 crew, all Chinese nationals, on board the vessel.�The crew were reported to be safe,' said MPA. 'MPA is working with relevant government agencies and the ship owner, and is monitoring the situation closely.' Golden Blessing is owned by Golden Pacific International Holdings (S) Pte Ltd and is chartered out to Shanghai Dingheng Shipping Co Ltd.

The tanker was on its way from Saudi Arabia to India when it was boarded off East Africa, said a brief Chinese-language report on the Ministry website (www.moc.gov.cn). 'Currently, a rescue operation is under way,' said the report. The report did not specify whether any other people, apart from the 19 Chinese nationals, were on the ship. Nor did it specify any demands from the pirates.

Somali pirates have made millions of dollars in ransoms by hijacking ships off their anarchic country's coast and have extended their range using mother ships, sometimes seized vessels, from which to launch attacks with smaller craft. Chinese sailors have been caught before by pirates around the Gulf of Aden. In December, the crew of a Chinese ship hijacked by Somali pirates in mid-October was safely rescued.

 

[singveld]

what a disgrace. why dun they hide in a safe room and wait for navy to come help them?
like the russian did.

 

[borom]

This is the time for these highest paid generals to show their ability.

Furthermore the crew are the MIW's pet PRC's that won the table tennis world cup for them.

Better take action quickly otherwise they will not act as spurs in the hide of locals or pay $36 million for a property and fatten the wallets of property developers and increase the land auction price.

 

[wahlaneh]

wahlaneh...
why SG Navy never go to rescue?

 

[Ramseth]

wahlaneh...
why SG Navy never go to rescue?

Standard replies :

MFA : We're puzzled and concerned.

MINDEF : We're monitoring the situation closely.

PMO : Don't expect hijack-free shipping in the high seas.

 

[po2wq]

Standard replies :

MFA : We're puzzled and concerned.

MINDEF : We're monitoring the situation closely.

PMO : Don't expect hijack-free shipping in the high seas.

mfa, mindef, pmo ... : v were cot off gard! ... :o

ah loong: evry peasant is held responsible 4 tis ... :o

 

[Mystery Machine]

Looks like our Singaporean govt are caught off-guard more often these days.

 

[palden]

haha... By the time our navy got there, the hijackers died of hunger liao. Maybe they are regretting now... board wrong ship

 

[wahlaneh]

wahlaneh...
our paper soldiers nvr fought a real war before.
time to send them out to the real battlefield for realistic training liao.

 

[nextinfidel]

Got SOTF.. don't worry.

The Special Operations Task Force (Abbreviation: SOTF; Chinese: 特别行动队; Malay: Operasi Khas Pasukan Khas) is a Special Operations Command created by the Singapore Army to better combat terrorists threats that would harm Singaporean interests at home and overseas.[4][5] Plans to create the unit has been officially announced to the press on June 30, 2009.

According to Colonel Benedict Lim, Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations), the SOTF is responsible at the national level for conduction counter-terrorist operations.[6]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 History
* 2 Formation
o 2.1 Headquarters
* 3 References

[edit] History

It was announced to the media that the Singaporean government has planned to create the Special Operations Task Force to counter all terrorist threats from land, sea and air.[4] According to Deputy Prime Minister and Singaporean Minister of Defence Teo Chee Hean, he states that the unit's establishment was needed because Singapore is not "dealing only with people with guns. They may be dealing with people who have very powerful explosives and various kinds of other substances, chemical, radiological and so on, so you need to develop capabilities to deal with these things. You have to deal with them at sea, at shore, buildings, aeroplanes, ships, coastlines and so on, so you do need to bring together these capabilities, develop them in a much more complete, coherent and integrated way."[5] In addition, Colonel Lam commented on the 2008 Mumbai attacks "where terrorists are getting smarter as well. They are getting more organised - they learnt from what the special and security forces are doing."[7]

Furthermore, the task force would be able to tackle and adapt to various threats according to the various specialties of Singapore's special forces units.[8][5]

The SOTF had recently participated in the Exercise Northstar VII drills, neutralizing several "terrorists" after they have infiltrated Sentosa.[6][9][10]
[edit] Formation

The following units are to be placed under SOTF command:

* Naval Diving Unit[11]
* Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation[11][8]
* Special Operations Force[8]

[edit] Headquarters

The SOTF formation includes personnel from the Air Force and Navy, who are in charge of mobilizing resources for SOTF missions based on their Service-specific knowledge.[3]

Colonel Tan Tai Tiong said in a statement that SOTF operators "are not losing our individual identities as Divers and Commandos, but gaining a valuable partner in each other's skill sets."[3]

 

[Microsoft]

SOFT... De name dun sound bery convincing leh...

 

[Singapaporean]

BG Yeo: Pls see your MP

 

[Singapaporean]

Commando: Er...got thai farmer or not..:o

 

[palden]

Can make it or not? This time it's real hijackers not wayang wayang

 

[borom]

Got SOTF.. don't worry......The following units ....under SOTF command:
* Naval Diving Unit
* Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation
* Special Operations Force....

Excellent suggestion. I would like to see the winners of our best combat units competition,(so very often praised and touted highly by the local press )show their mettle again - after their successful mission against the hijackers of the plane at Changi Airport.

We can then compare their performance with the Delta Force ,Army Rangers, and Special Operations Aviation Regiment of the USA in the Battle of Mogadishu ( as depicted by the film Black Hawk Down)."1000 Somalis died and 19 Americans lost their lives in the conflict .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_Down_(film)#Controversy

What a chance for our highest paid ministers in the world to prove and show off their ability in the international stage.Show the foreign talents you are capable of protecting them and their $36 million bungalows in Sentosa,

 

[dysentry]

what a relief, whole crew is FTs.

 

[lolabunny]

SOFT... De name dun sound bery convincing leh...

Commando: Er...got thai farmer or not..:o

what a relief, whole crew is FTs.

You guys are funny. :p

But have some pity for the poor crew! Seamen lead very stressed out and dangerous lives!!

 

[wahlaneh]

wahlaneh...
why not assign sg navy ships to escort all these cargo ships?
u know how much $$$ 1 40-footer container fully loaded with cargo can fetch or not during turnover?
how many containers can a cargo ship carry?
next time ur cargo went MIA in the middle of South China Sea u know why liao.

 

[Baroko]

wahlaneh...
our paper soldiers nvr fought a real war before.
time to send them out to the real battlefield for realistic training liao.

This is a great opportunity to show to the rest of the world if our 1st world navy is worth their "salt" in the salty waters. (pun intended)

Hope they won't be "caught off guard".