Norwegian shipowner demands quick execution of pirates at sea
NORWEGIAN Deputy Foreign Minister Erik Lahnstein has blasted Norwegian shipowner Jacob Stolt-Nielsen for declaring in his newspaper commentary that pirates should have their ships sunk and be drowned at sea.
Mr Stolt-Nielsen, founder of Stolt-Nielsen Tankers, a unit of Stolt-Nielsen Limited (SNL) wrote in the Oslo financial paper Dagens Naeringsliv, that pirates caught on the high seas "always have been punished with death, most often executed on the spot. The only way to fight piracy is to hang the pirates. The only language they understand is force."
Said Deputy Minister Lahnstein: "If this is an expression of frustration and anger in relation to this serious situation, I might have some understanding of the strong words. If he means it literally, it is surprising and disappointing."
In response, Mr Stolt-Nielsen said: "Perhaps, I was a bit tough in the commentary, but I'm telling it like it is. The way to solve the pirate problem is to sink the pirates and their ships."
NORWEGIAN Deputy Foreign Minister Erik Lahnstein has blasted Norwegian shipowner Jacob Stolt-Nielsen for declaring in his newspaper commentary that pirates should have their ships sunk and be drowned at sea.
Mr Stolt-Nielsen, founder of Stolt-Nielsen Tankers, a unit of Stolt-Nielsen Limited (SNL) wrote in the Oslo financial paper Dagens Naeringsliv, that pirates caught on the high seas "always have been punished with death, most often executed on the spot. The only way to fight piracy is to hang the pirates. The only language they understand is force."
Said Deputy Minister Lahnstein: "If this is an expression of frustration and anger in relation to this serious situation, I might have some understanding of the strong words. If he means it literally, it is surprising and disappointing."
In response, Mr Stolt-Nielsen said: "Perhaps, I was a bit tough in the commentary, but I'm telling it like it is. The way to solve the pirate problem is to sink the pirates and their ships."