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What will be the outcome of the seizure of the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star?

Suspended

Suspended pending settlement

Background:

The Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker is currently anchored off the Somali coast after the vessel and its 25 crew were seized by pirates. Vela International, operators of the Sirius Star, told the BBC no demands had yet been received from the pirates. The company also said all the crew were safe.

The biggest tanker ever hijacked, Sirius Star is carrying a cargo of two million barrels - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m (£67m). (BBC News)

Market Notes
-"Pirates get away" means none has been captured by settlement date.

-"No ransom" means that major mainstream news sources agree that in fact no ransom has been paid.

-If officials deny paying a ransom (or do not comment) but the majority of major mainstream news sources agrees on the fact that a ransom has been paid, this settles as "ransom paid".


Settlement details: As reported by a major mainstream news source. Question will settle when the situation is resolved.

 
Forecast history, %
   Zoom in

Suspended

Ransom paid, ship/crew released, pirates get away
46%
No ransom, ship/crew released, pirates get away
7%
Pirates give up, captured
2%
Ship attacked, pirates killed/captured
22%
Ransom paid, ship/crew released, pirates captured
8%
Other outcome
16%
Activity: H$82,301
Predictions on this question are temporarily suspended

Suspend date: Sat 31st Jan 11:59pm PST (3 weeks to go)

Initial likelihoods: Ransom paid, ship/crew released, pirates get away: 25%, No ransom, ship/crew released, pirates get away: 15%, Pirates give up, captured: 20%, Ship attacked, pirates killed/captured: 20%, Ransom paid, ship/crew released, pirates captured: 15%, Other outcome: 5%

Action history:

Created Wed 19th Nov 2008 1:02am PST by horatiomonty
Changed Suspend date Wed 31st Dec 2008 9:03am PST by infernalmachine[Admin]: was: "2008-12-31 23:59:00"
Settlement requested Fri 2nd Jan 2:33pm PST by ryanj[Admin]: Patrick, think the predictions I just made on the market may have to be voided.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=80017§ionid=351020501
Settlement requested Today 5:45am PST by mcchaff: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7820311.stm
Released with ransom.
Suspended Today 5:46am PST by kruijs[Power User]: Suspended pending settlement
Settlement requested Today 5:46am PST by kruijs[Power User]: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7820311.stm
released with ransom (market suspended)
Settlement requested Today 12:05pm PST by ghosttie: http://kdka.com/national/somali.pirates.oil.2.903978.html
Settlement requested Today 12:22pm PST by bout3fitty: http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=6611756&page=1

Suspend date: Sat 31st Jan 11:59pm PST (3 weeks to go)
more info...

 

Predictions (334)

334 predictions

11 hours ago
keyeshoveden[Power User] predicted Ransom paid, ship/crew released, pirates get away (H$700 at 38%)
1 day ago
cousinjack predicted Other outcome (H$49 at 16%)
1 day ago
jimbo predicted Ransom paid, ship/crew released, pirates get away (H$100 at 34%)
1 day ago
drachenstein predicted Ransom paid, ship/crew released, pirates get away (H$50 at 33%)
4 days ago
thomasianmangnall predicted Ship attacked, pirates killed/captured (H$50 at 23%)
more

Comments (15)

Hmm I guess the option of 'Ship attacked, Pirates blow it up' would be 'other outcome'.
posted 6 weeks ago
  2 pacman
Only if the pirates somehow survive blowing it up!
posted 6 weeks ago
  3 smokydogs
The Saudis will never let all that oil get away. They are business thinkers and if a payoff is the cheapest way out, that's what they will do. When they see the answer, they will act.
What is beyond me is why a group of motivated investors haven't created an oil ship as bait and when the pirates attack hit them so hard that they won't easily attack another ship. After two or three of these, the problem basically will be solved.
posted 6 weeks ago
@smokydogs: Not sure there. There's just too many ships to cash on and these pirates have nothing to lose... and if the Saudis really look for the cheapest way, they will take into account the long run. It's no secret what happens if you give in to terrorist demands all the time.
posted 6 weeks ago
German military officials say they recommend 500 (!) ships to get the situation under control. By now there's 15...
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,592777,00.html
posted 6 weeks ago
  6 smokydogs
horatiomonty, "the long run" will be avoiding the Somali coast. The short run is getting back the tanker and the oil and saving the hostages. I just saw an interesting piece that showed treatment of the hostages to be fairly good and that the pirates first and foremost interest to be the money. I also saw where the French had tracked down the pirates and their money from a previous hijacking. I still think if all the current hostages, tankers, and oil were paid off, then a dedicated anti-hijacking strategy of a bait ship that would kill or capture the pirates when they tried another hijacking coupled with re-routing the real oil tankers during this time would put the fear of God or Allah or whomever into them. The simple fact is that hijacking is a relatively easy thing for the pirates to do so the answer is to make it very hard to get to the tankers and present the fear of death if the wrong ship is attacked. Ransom with a plan to end the future attacks may be a winning strategy.
posted 6 weeks ago
  7 mcchaff
I assume if there is no change to the situation by the closure date the result is 'Other outcome'?
posted 3 weeks ago
Hm, good question. I expected this to be long over by then. What's the administrators' view? We could also extend the suspend date?!
posted 3 weeks ago
I'd also like to know if 'other outcome' is what's applied to nothing happening.

Feels like I've been sitting on this bet forever. I'd prefer this one is settled and a new one dealing with this be created rather than an extension on this settlement date.
posted 2 weeks ago
I thought by now someone would've responded to this question so I've flagged for an answer. Hopefully it arrives before the suspension date.
posted 1 week ago
The question settles based on the resolution of the situation. Suspend dates are not binding, unless they are made so explicitly in the question text or background. In this case, the question is about what happens, not what happens by year-end.
posted 1 week ago
  12 ryanj[Admin]
Seems the Supertanker may be released by the Pirates, but it isn't clear just yet, although the talk from the spokesman makes it seem kind of clear.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=80017§ionid=351020501
posted 1 week ago
  13 mcchaff
An end to this saga.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7820311.stm
posted 10 hours ago
  14 bout3fitty
Ransom paid. Pirates disembark. Ship heading out to sea.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=6611756&page=1
posted 3 hours ago
Thanks for the settlement requests. I'm going to wait a few hours more and see about whether the pirates "get away", and then I'll settle. If you hear they've been captured, then send that in as settlement request.
posted 2 hours ago

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