Maritime Piracy Is Kicking Off in the Caribbean Sea

Perhaps the title to this post should include the word, "again." This is a story out of Bahamas. From gCaptain: Grounded Trailer Bridge Barge Looted Off Bahamas Following Mechanical Failure

Jacksonville-based transportation provider Trailer Bridge reported an active robbery aboard its barge Brooklyn Bridge on the evening of November 13, with approximately 50 individuals looting cargo from the vessel while it sat stranded roughly three miles off the Bahamas.

The Bahamian authorities have decided to do nothing, and the US navy, even though we apparently have agreements with the Bahamas, is also doing nothing.

For details on that bit of piracy and more in other parts of the world see the following video. There are some additional links below the embedded video.

This is the Whats' Going on With Shipping? video The Real Pirates of the Caribbean...and Somalia...and Hormuz | Where is the Coast Guard & Navy?

Some additional stories about piracy, though I suppose the story out of Iran doesn't count. (They are claiming they have a legal right to sieze the vessel in question.)

• Houthis Declare Suspension of Red Sea Attacks, But Maritime Threat Remains
• EUNAVFOR Seizes Pirate Mother Ship Following Tanker Hijacking Off Somalia
• Iran Confirms Seizure Of Tanker in Gulf, Citing ‘Unauthorized Cargo’

You can see the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Map at this link.

The Houthis Set Oil Tanker Ablaze on the Red Sea

I wanted to say that the Red Sea is on fire, but only one ship on the Red Sea is on fire. Fires break out on abandoned Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion that Yemen rebels attacked in Red Sea

The Houthis attacked the ship on Thursday, causing the crew to abandon. They then apparently boarded the ship and planted demolition charges. For video of that see the video linked below.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the fires in a note to mariners on Friday night.

“UKMTO have received a report that three fires have been observed on vessel,” the center said. “The vessel appears to be drifting.”

The crew of 25, Russians on Philipinos, abandoned ship on Thursday, were picked up a French destroyer, and taken to Djibouti.

The ship was carrying 150,000 tonnes of Iraqui crude oil heading for a refinery in Greece.

You can find a 4 and a half minute video from the YouTube channel What is Going on With Shipping? at the following link: Tanker MV Sounion Boarded by Houthi & Demolition Charges Set on Board in the Red Sea | No Casualties.

Since I know some people are geographically challenged... The Red Sea connects the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea to the Medditerranian Sea by way of the Suez Canal.

What Happens When You Can't Rely on Police? Piracy in Oakland, CA Edition

I was going to title this post, "Piracy returns to California," but I'm not sure there were really any pirates in California dating back at least to the Spanish era. From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog: Newest Sign of California’s Decline: Pirates

Piracy made news about 10 years ago, or more, when there was a resurgence off the east coast of Africa. It has always been something of a problem in the western Pacific ocean, and when the Venezuelan economy collapsed, it became a problem in the southeastern Carribean for a time.

There was even a high-profile case, that resulted in a Hollywood movie, but that is the rare occurance.

Piracy thrives, like any other crime, when the rule of law breaks down. The problem with piracy is that most of the world's oceans are not policed. There has been no police force since the British were traveling the seas under sail. The US Navy has rarely seen the supression of piracy as part of its mandate since the begining of the 20th Century.

With no law enforcement, people will "sail on the account."

And now that breakdown of law and order has reached Oakland, CA.

Boat owners say they’re going to ban together to do whatever they must to protect themselves. “We don’t bother to call the police anymore. We’re going to handle it ourselves.”

The fact that Oakland has exactly 1 officer trained on how to use its patrol boat, might go to explaining why they no longer bother. Though apparently the Coast Guard is adding some patrols to the Oakland estuary.

This is the CBS News video Marina residents say Oakland pirates becoming more brazen after several ships stolen. It is 4 minutes, and worth your time.

And the Graham Combat Killhouse Rules are worth repeating here. People resist this list, because our whole modern world seems to be predicated on the idea that you are not responsible for your own safety. The rules are after the break.

A Stupid Statue Gets the History of Pirates Wrong

But then the Daily Mail gets a lot wrong as well. Plan for statue of 'lesbian' pirates at Devon beauty spot triggers uproar

Why you would want to honor pirates is beyond me. They were not romantic figures, and their antics are not a funny summer blockbuster from Disney. They were (and are) brutal criminals. And then there is the history.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were pirates, but they were not lesbians. They were both sleeping with Calico Jack (John Rackham.)

Plans for a statue of two real-life female Pirates Of The Caribbean have caused outrage in a seaside community over claims they are 'totally inappropriate' and would 'glamorise' crime.

But apparently their flaunting of "gender roles" trumps the number of people they killed.

And the Daily Mail can't be bothered to get the rest of the history right either.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were infamous pirates hanged in the Caribbean

Mary Read died in prison of a fever while pregnant. Anne Bonny, also pregnant when Rackham's crew was captured, was eventually released. While we don't know what happened to her, we do know she wasn't executed as the rest of Rackham's crew was. But history is boring, and the details are unimportant, less important than the violence they perpetrated around The Caribbean. And besides, all that is nothing compared to flaunting gender roles. Or something.

The concrete statues were designed to celebrate the pair, depicted here, for breaking gender boundaries during the 18th century

The objections of the population will probably be ignored in honor of "art." The South Hams District Council will decide at a later date.

Here is a story about what pirates are doing today. It was published last month. Nigeria: Pirates Kill One, Kidnap 15 Sailors from Turkish Cargo Ship

One sailor was killed in the raid, an Azerbaijani citizen, while those kidnapped are from Turkey, according to the respective governments and a crew list seen by Reuters.

The fifteen were released a few days ago and are now back in Turkey.

Here's a story from 2013 about the state of piracy in general. Top 15 Modern Day Pirates. In some locales, like Bangladesh and The Bay of Bengal, they take no prisoners. They are only after goods; people are killed out of hand.

So yeah, it is totally appropriate to celebrate this kind of depravity with "art."