Modern Piracy and the Comics Storyteller

[dewline]

I'm watching CBC Newsworld coverage of the hijacking of the oil tanker Sirius Star right now.

Something that struck me: the interviewer describes that ship as being "three times the size of an aircraft carrier" - not specifying which class in which nation's service at the moment - and I read on the CBC web page linked above that the ship's been running with a multi-national crew of 25.

Twenty-five.

And the anchor claims astonishment that this could happen at all.

(As an aside, here's a link to the press release covering the naming ceremony. Notable for at least one first in Saudi history on the face of it, and it's one of the youngest ships in the fleet of its owners.)

I'm astonished that something of this sort didn't happen earlier on.

I'd also like an answer to this question: have any comics or novel writers tried on this sort of crime as a plot premise before? The closest I can come to saying "maybe yes" would be a Tintin book or two...

Addendum: Thanks much to mercuryeric for his suggested reading.

Also: Check this linkage out. One more reason to wean ourselves off of the existing setup ASAP, methinks. (Mind you, I'm not so sure of that particular author's opinions of the future of Prince Edward Island...)

Comments

[dannydonovan.livejournal.com]

Do the times people try to overtake the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier count?

[dewline.livejournal.com]

SHIELD's lost more than a couple of Helicarriers, as I recall, as much to security-minded scuttling as to actual "threat force" action.

And I still think they dropped a zero in estimating the crew count on those ships in the latest edition of the Iron Manual this past summer.

[mencc1701.livejournal.com]

Well, assuming their referring to the tonnage of the ship, then it's about three times the size of an American Nimitz-class carrier, which displaces about 110,000 tons. The Sirius Star displaces about 330,000.

By length, however, the Nimitz is about twelve metres longer, though I'm not sure how they compare in terms of their beams.

And a crew of 25 is a pretty standard size for a supertanker. They're very highly automated, and there aren't that many tasks that need a human presence, unlike military vessels.

[mencc1701.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I lied. The Nimitz class is actually about 13 metres shorter, but the USS Enterprise is 12 metres longer.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Noted, along with your subsequent corrections, Dave. Yeah, I suppose the tonnage figure's what CBC's working from here. As for automation, that's part of the priority of a private shipping concern, isn't it?

They may want to rethink it at Vela's parent firm, Aramco, just a bit.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

Wow, that would make a hell of a read, either from the POV of pirate or tanker crew, or from the POV of mercinaries hired aboard to protect the cargo.

---

Hell, if I owned a "private security" firm, I'd be pointing out that it would probably be worth their time and money to pay their crews a hazard bonus and put about 7-10 of my well paid, heavily armed people on their ship.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I'd be willing to bet that such firms are already working up marketing plans along those lines, Kady.

[mercuryeric.livejournal.com]

Haven't yet, but I plan to.

And if the subject interests you. I *HIGHLY* recommend the brisk but terrifying book, The Outlaw Sea by William Langewiesche (http://www.amazon.com/Outlaw-Sea-World-Freedom-Chaos/dp/0865477221/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226964942&sr=8-1).

It's a couple years old, so likely a touch out of date, but gripping nonetheless.

-E

[retrozombi.livejournal.com]

"The Zombie Ship" by DF Jones. A crew consisting solely of four guards is attacked by oil hijackers. Jones is a terrible writer, but a ruthless plotter who doesn't believe that happy endings are attainable.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I'll keep an eye out for that volume as well, Sean!