This time it was good, Li Zheng didn't even take a bite of food, and he had to abandon his job again to gather and prepare for deployment.
Fatty Wei frantically took a few mouthfuls of rice, drank two more mouthfuls of soup, and finally grabbed two steamed buns, stuffing one into his mouth and holding the other in his hand. He muttered indistinctly: "Damn pirates." , and don’t let anyone stop…”
Everyone filed out of the restaurant and went to the deck to gather. As the captain, Zhang Jian went to the command center to receive the mission.
While waiting for Zhang Jian, everyone stood beside the deck chatting, guessing which ship had another accident this time.
Wang Haiyang said it was definitely not a cargo ship from our own country, but a foreign ship this time.
It is not unreasonable for him to say this. The mission of escort is to protect the cargo ships, goods and personnel of our motherland through the dangerous waters of the Gulf of Aden safely.
In addition, the second most important person is to assist the United Nations in carrying out some tasks to protect the World Food Program and other international organizations in the delivery of humanitarian supplies, ensuring that these supplies for relief will not be stolen by pirates.
As for escorting other foreign ships, that is an international obligation, because there are not only Rabbit's own navy, but also the navies of other countries. They also have their own warships to escort. Unless some small countries do not have navies here, they can only apply for formations from other countries. convoy.
When it comes to applying for escort, there are procedures.
First, when a cargo ship arrives near the Gulf of Aden and enters an active pirate area, the company to which the cargo ship belongs will apply for escort from a certain country's naval fleet based on its own situation and shipping schedule. The usual approach is to first contact the country's military or shipping authority. Department applies.
Take Rabbit as an example. To apply for Rabbit naval escort, you must first apply with the Ministry of Transport. After the application is approved, the captain will be notified when and in which sea area to wait. Navy ships will meet them there and pass through the Gulf of Aden in formation together.
Therefore, ships such as the Pengcheng were escorted through this method before.
Some cargo ships that have not applied for escort can temporarily call for help through international channels when they are pursued by pirates when they pass through pirate-active sea areas, but that mode is often just a matter of luck.
There must happen to be an idle naval ship with no mission near you, so that it can rush over to rescue you.
Usually there are few warships and many cargo ships. It is more than ten times more difficult to find a warship without a mission than to queue up an expert to see a doctor.
Once there is news that a cargo ship is being pursued by pirates, even if there are warships nearby, they are often already performing escort missions and cannot be distracted. The biggest support is to send ship-borne helicopters with several special forces to drive them away through some force means. Away from pirates.
Therefore, when Li Zheng and the others suddenly received a first-level combat deployment notice just after returning to the ship, it was definitely not a planned escort mission, but an unexpected incident.
There must be a ship that couldn't wait for the sailing date and tried its luck to enter the Gulf of Aden alone. As a result, the Yintang turned black and actually encountered pirates.
While chatting, a navy sailor on the deck also came to join in the fun. As a few people chatted, the sailor said that he heard that it was a ship owned by the wealthy Luo Tuo family.
When everyone heard this, they were stunned at first, and then couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.
It's not that everyone has any contempt for the Luotuo family, that's not the case at all.
It's just that the Luotuo family's ship had a scandal here in the Gulf of Aden. No one has been able to break this scandal until now, and it has become a legend.
To put it in a joke, which pirate would not be wise enough to rob the Luo Tuo family's ship?
It is said that pirates hijack ships in order to make money. If the robbery is successful, money will naturally flow in. Unless they are unlucky like Li Zheng and the others who broke the engine and returned empty-handed the night before, there is no possibility of losing money as long as the hijacking is successful.
But the world is a big place, and there are all kinds of strange things.
There are really ruthless characters who let the gang of pirates in Somalia succeed in hijacking, then lose in the end, and finally want to beat the gongs and drums to send the hostages away.
And this ruthless character is Brother Luotuo, a big business owner in the Middle East.
This happened a few years ago, when a cargo ship "Asberg" from the Camel Emirate sailed into the waters of Somalia where piracy is most active, carrying a large amount of cargo and 23 crew members.
At this time, Ariscilla, the captain of the "Asberg", was 72 years old and had been sailing on the sea for more than 50 years. He could be said to be an experienced old captain. This time they started from Departing from Yemen, crossed the Suez Canal, crossed the Red Sea, and prepared to return to the Camel Emirate.
Although the previous voyage had been very smooth, in Asirila's eyes, her group was likely to be in danger, because the sea area they were about to enter was next to Somalia. Once they were entangled by this group of vicious wolves, , then not only will the ship and the cargo on the ship be unable to be saved, but he and others will also be detained in Somalia and become the meat tickets in the hands of these pirates, demanding a sky-high ransom from their country.
The old captain who had just entered this sea area was already fully armed. He ordered several sailors on the deck to see the surrounding situation clearly, and arranged manpower in the captain's cabin. As long as he gave the order, he would immediately go to the sea. The country to which they belong sends a distress signal, and the four armed guards on the ship have also received orders from the old captain and are ready to respond to emergencies at any time.
The "Asberg"'s voyage in this dangerous sea area soon passed halfway, and everything seemed to be safe. Just when the old captain secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thought he could retire gloriously soon, the distant sea area There were several sounds of motorboat engines.
The experienced captain was immediately shocked when he heard the sound and ordered the sailors in that direction to see what was going on. Soon the information came back. The observing crew said they were six motorboats.
When the old captain heard this, he shed half a pound of cold sweat on his back, secretly shouting that this time it was over.
Sure enough, when the motorboat caught up with him, he saw that it was a group of Somali pirates armed with live ammunition.
Upon seeing this, the old captain immediately sent a distress signal to the Camel Emirate, and the four armed men on board also raised their guns and aimed at the pirates.
However, the distant water could not save the nearby fire. Before the Camel Emirate received the distress signal, the six motorboats had already surrounded the ship and soon exchanged fire.
The four guards on the ship did not hesitate to shoot directly. Although two pirates were defeated, more than 10 pirates still boarded the deck. Looking at the enemies several times their size in front of them, these four guards were not afraid of being brave. He suffered the immediate loss, and he didn't have to risk his life by doing a part-time job, so he immediately put down the gun, knelt down and raised his hands in surrender.
Soon these pirates took full control of the "Esberg", and the whole process took less than half an hour.
At this time, these pirates were very happy, because they had not "eat meat" for half a year before, and they did not expect to catch a fat sheep so smoothly this time. As for the two companions who were sacrificed, they had long been "eating meat". Selective ignorance".
After taking control of the freighter, the pirates first searched the cargo on the ship. They were just some ordinary daily necessities, which were not worth a lot of money. It seemed that the most valuable ones were the hostages, so the pirates took these hostages. They were imprisoned and a signal was sent to the Camel Emirate: "I, the pirate, pay me, otherwise the hostages will die!"
After sending the message, I drank a cold drink on the boat and raised my little feet in flip-flops, waiting for the good news to arrive.
But I never expected that after the signal was sent out, there would be no response for two or three days.
At first, the pirates thought they had sent the wrong number, and the leader angrily wanted to drag the guy who sent the message out and throw him into the sea to feed the sharks.
I checked several times and the number is correct.
I sent a few more messages, but still nothing happened.
The camel seemed blind and deaf, and showed no reaction.
So these pirate leaders slapped their thighs: "What's the matter? Look down on us? Then let's cross the line and learn from the terrorists."
They gathered the crew together, dragged out a few and beat them with sap, and then took a video of them.
In the video, they made the crew members cry miserably one by one, saying that they wanted to go home and hoped that the Camel Emirate would not give up on them. If they did not pay a ransom to save them, they would be chopped up and fed to fish.
Seeing the crew crying and wiping away tears, these pirates were very satisfied with the effect, and then sent the video to the Camel Emirate, and also specified the ransom amount, 8 million US dollars!
Not a penny less.
This is obviously a big opening for the lion!
The market price at that time was generally 2-3 million US dollars for a boat, 8 million, which was a sky-high ransom. Those who didn't know it thought they had kidnapped Jack Ma.
But if you think about it, you can understand that the target of their extortion is the Camel Emirate. For the Camel Emirate, these pirates do not feel that they want more, but they feel that they are already "kind", because the 8 million US dollars sounds like Although there are many, for the Camel Emirate, it is undoubtedly a drop in the ocean, a hair on the body of the African bison, not even a hair...
As we all know, isn’t Dubai the most populous city in the Emirate of Camel? In Dubai, the official cars driven by the police are all Bugattis. As for other luxury cars such as Ferrari and Maybach, they are almost like "poor people's cars" in Dubai.
There is a joke: Even if you go to Dubai to beg for food, you can spend tens of thousands of dollars a month.
Moreover, the Camel Emirate is a country that relies on oil to make its fortune. If there is oil, will there be no money?
Thinking of this, the pirates felt that the Camel Emirate had definitely "earned" money in exchange for 8 million in exchange for 23 crew members and such a large ship.
But after this video was sent, there was still no response, and these pirates felt that something was wrong. They checked on the website of the Camel Emirate, and there was no news about the kidnapping of these people.
So they comforted themselves again——
It is very likely that the Camel Emirate has received too many letters and it has not been your turn yet, so just wait a little longer.
Another two or three months have passed, and the Camel Emirate still has not made any negotiations with these pirates, let alone sent the ransom to redeem the people and the ship.
So, these pirates finally couldn't wait any longer, and sent information to the Camel Emirate for the third time, and found out that the company the "Esberg" belonged to was a shipping company named Azar, so they Send a message directly to Azar Shipping Company: 8 million U.S. dollars, not a penny less, otherwise I will destroy the ship.
These pirates feel that they have "accurately targeted customers" this time, so they should give themselves a reply!
Unexpectedly, a reply from Azar Company came back soon, but it did not inform them where the ransom was, but told them that Azar Company had announced that it had given up its ownership of the "Asberg".
As soon as the news came out, it was like a bolt from the blue!
These pirates were deceived at the time, thinking that this was simply outrageous and opening the door for outrageousness - it was so outrageous!
Give up ownership?
It’s a shame the people in the Camel Emirate can figure it out!
But the Camel Emirate is awesome. I have money and I am willful!
I don’t want this big cargo ship worth hundreds of millions of dollars anymore. I don’t care about the life and death of the crew members on the ship. If you want to tear it down, tear it up, feed the fish if you want to, and destroy the ship if you want to destroy it.
In an instant, these pirates were collectively petrified.
No one knows whether this news is true or false, and no one knows what the intention of Azar Shipping Company is in doing this.
After some discussion, these pirates came to a conclusion like a genius: conspiracy!
This is definitely a conspiracy!
Azar Company is playing a "play hard to get" trick to make us feel that this cargo ship is not important and let us give up voluntarily, so that they can take the ship back without spending any ransom. As everyone knows, this strategy We have seen through it, Azar Company will never be able to take advantage of this!
So the triumphant pirates continued to send emails demanding ransom to Azar Company every week, and still detained this group of people to prevent them from escaping.
Who would have known that more than 200 days would have passed since the wait, and Azar Company has always done what they said - ignored it! Love so and so!
More than two hundred days later, this group of unlucky pirates finally gave up. It seemed that Azar Company really did not want these people and this ship.
But now comes the problem. This is the first time this group of pirates have encountered such an outrageous situation. At this time, they don't know whether they should let these people go.
If you say you won't let go...
What's going on, do I still want to keep them?
Didn’t these people have to spend money on everything they had to eat, drink, and drink during these 200 days?
Even if it is based on the lowest standards, I still feel that the money cannot be thrown in for nothing.
What if we say let it go?
Come on, don't think about continuing to "take meat tickets and ask for ransom" in the future. With this precedent, everyone will know from now on that Somali pirates are not scary. If they kidnap and drag you away without paying the ransom, they will naturally kill people. Put it back...
How can I mess around in the future?
As for killing them, it would be even more uneconomical. If he killed them, then the money he had invested in, and the "food expenses" for more than 200 days, would really become "bad debts."
This group of pirates scratched their heads and couldn't figure out why such a wealthy Camel Emirate was reluctant to part with these 8 million US dollars?
However, the Camel Emirate does not care about the life and death of these crew members, but the local Somali government feels that these pirates can no longer be allowed to do whatever they want.
After some preparations, the Somali government established a Putale coast guard base to use "sea police" to deal with these "sea bandits". In order to know ourselves and the enemy and win every battle, the Putale coast guard base also recruited A group of former pirates "come to learn from thieves and learn skills to control thieves."
In order to prove its determination, Somalia also asked countries around the world that had been kidnapped and extorted by pirates and asked them what they had lost.
At this time, the Camel Emirate seemed to remember.
Hey, is there still a crew on my side in the hands of Somali pirates?
So I told the Somali government that there are still more than 20 crew members on my side being held by pirates for almost two years.
When the Somali government heard this, it immediately said that this was our first battle to combat piracy in Somalia and restore the country's reputation.
On December 4, 2012, the crew of the "Esberg" who had been imprisoned and tortured by Somali pirates for nearly two years finally heard the "rumble" of helicopters outside and the sound of machine gun fire. They came to rescue them. their voices.
But these pirates have been in this area for many years, and they are not so easy to deal with. They directly brought out two heavy machine guns and opened fire at the Somali government helicopter in the sky. Originally, this group of coast guard should have responded with heavy machine guns. Yes, but unexpectedly, when the coast guard's heavy machine guns were brought out and the triggers were pulled, no bullets were fired at all. It turned out that all these heavy machine guns were malfunctioning.
Somalia was too weak as a country at the time, so they had no money when they bought these heavy machine guns. The ones they bought had problems, but after such a bump on the helicopter, they all broke.
This first round of encirclement and suppression of pirates could only end hastily like a farce.
Two days later, this time the Somali Coast Guard inspected all the weapons and equipment. After confirming that they were correct, they launched another attack on the Somali pirates.
This attack went very smoothly, and soon the Somali Coast Guard surrounded the pirates on the "Esberg" cargo ship, which had been parked here for two and a half years. , has long been covered with rust.
Due to the large number of pirates, the coast guard was unable to capture them quickly. The two sides remained in a stalemate for a month. Finally, the pirates, who were out of ammunition and food, compromised and were willing to release all the hostages. However, Let them go.
The Somali Coast Guard thought about it and agreed to their request. In this way, the crew members who had been trapped on the ship for two and a half years finally saw the light of day again.
Ever since, this meme has spread here and become a joke among the locals.
The pirates also know that it is risky to rob the ships of the Camel Emirate, and they may lose money...
Asking for a monthly ticket!
(End of chapter)
