Piracy - the word conjures up images of eye-patches, cutlasses and pieces of eight - but as Captain Ken Blyth discovered when his ship was hijacked in the South China Sea in April 1998, the modern pirate uses speedboats and machine guns, wears balaclavas and deals in US dollars.
In the early hours of 17th April 1998, 40km off the Malaysian coast, the Australian skipper of the 12,000 tonne "Petro Ranger" fell victim to bandits of another age. Piracy is big business; it's easier than robbing a bank, there's more money involved, and nine times out of ten you don't get caught. In this case the pirates were finally captured, and the full story can now be told, of 50 days of terror on the high seas, while the ship and its $20m cargo was sailed up to China at gunpoint under control of a highly professional pirate gang.
The pirates who took over the oil tanker were acting for an international syndicate, intending to steal the cargo, kill the crew and sell the vessel. Only the resolution of Captain Ken Blyth and his crew, the alertness of the Chinese Marine Police, and good fortune prevented the pirates from carrying out their plan. Much of this story is every bit as bizarre and just as exciting as a crime novel. It is both a fascinating story of adventure and survival, and also a scathing indictment of officials in several countries.
