Like a Coast Guard

The New York Times got a telephone interview with some of the Somali pirates holding a shipload of tanks and other weapons.

The one who agreed to be quoted said some interesting things, including, "We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas. We are simply patrolling our seas. Think of us like a coast guard.”

I have no doubt that these really are the bad guys. At the same time, they're compelling figures.

Warships surround Somali pirates

Alas, the tanks and other weapons don't appear destined for defending a pirate fortress. This will probably end in blood and gunfire.

Pirate Tankers?

Pirates off the coast of Somalia recently seized a Ukrainian ship loaded with 33 T-72 tanks, other weapons, and “a substantial quantity of ammunition.”

Likely those ‘other weapons’ include machine guns that can be mounted on those tanks.

I wonder what they plan to do with those tanks. A pirate army equipped with Soviet era battle tanks could be formidable, even if they were used primarily to defend a stronghold.

Keeping those tanks would open a door to supply chain challenges: battle tanks are not simple machines to keep running, though I expect the simpler T-72’s are easier to keep going than the modern generation of U.S. tanks. Still, tanks need fuel (lots of fuel), and tanks need spare parts (lots of different spare parts). I would almost assume that some of those tanks would become ‘parts tanks.’

If they don’t drive them too much, and if they have a mechanic or four who can replace things as they break, (not to mention has access to the tools and equipment required) they can have a mighty armored company, at least compared with most other African militaries.

I have a hunch that they’ll sell those tanks to a small country somewhere who is better equipped to manage the resource requirements of an armored force.