When Modern Day Pirates Attack!
When one thinks of pirates, the first image that comes to mind is probably a group of sword wielding homo-erotically dressed dudes sailing the seas on a rickety ship, binge drinking before they commandeer other vessels. If that’s true, you need to get that Hollywood shit outta ya head. Pirates aren’t some vestige of past centuries, they’re still around, wrecking havoc like it was the 1700s. Only this time, there’s no gold and swords, just machine guns and oil.
On Monday, while carrying $100 million worth of oil and a full crew, a Saudi Arabian tanker named the Sirius Star was captured off the coast of Kenya and is currently being held for ransom by a group of Somali pirates. The incident marks the biggest ship to ever be hijacked by pirates. While this is one of the most startling high seas attacks we’ve seen, it isn’t the craziest. Check some other examples of vicious pirate attacks below…
DATE: April 16, 1989
LOCATION: South China Sea off the Mayalsian Coast
WHAT HAPPENED: Armed with shotguns and hammers, a group of seven pirates boarded a boat filled with Vietnamese refugees and proceeded to bludgeon and shoot the men and rape the women. Afterwards, to kill off any witnesses, the pirates set the boat on fire, forcing the survivors to plunge into the sea. 130 people were said to be dead as a result.
——————————————————————————
DATE: August 8, 2000
LOCATION: Off the coast of Singapore
WHAT HAPPENED: The captain of a Taiwanese squid fishing boat was killed after a pirate ship disguised as an Indonesian naval ship chased down the fishing vessel. Once they got the ship to come to a stop, a group of armed pirates boarded the ship, but left without taking anything or causing any major damage.
——————————————————————————
DATE: July 2, 2004
LOCATION: Pemba, Tanzania
WHAT HAPPENED: While on a diving trip with Pemba Afloat, the group of 25 divers had their boat attacked by machete wielding pirates who knocked the captain out and robbed the group for $5,000 in money and personal possessions. Two members were shot during the robbery, with one just missing death as the bullet whizzed through her body narrowly missing her spine.
——————————————————————————
DATE: November 5, 2005
LOCATION: Off the coast of Somalia
WHAT HAPPENED: The world’s most luxurious cruise ship in the world at the time, the Seabourn Spirit, was attacked by pirates on two inflatable speed boats using rocket propelled grenades. Fortunately, the crew of the Seabourn was well trained in evasive maneuvers and was able to get away. But not before they hit ‘em with a machine that emits a loud bang to repel any oncoming threats.
——————————————————————————
DATE: April 4, 2008
LOCATION: Gulf of Arden
WHAT HAPPENED: While sailing back to the Mediterranean from the Seychelles, the Ponant, a 800 ton, three masted French luxury cruise yacht, was boarded by Somali pirates and brought back to the Somalia where it was held for ransom with the crew of 22 French nationals. After a week stand-off, the French military detained six of the 10 suspected pirates and returned the crew home safely.
