Piracy and Piracy in Somalia 3
n the early 1980s, prior to the outbreak of the civil war in Somalia, the Somali Ministry of Fisheries and the Coastal Development Agency (CDA) launched a development program focusing on the establishment of agricultural and fishery cooperatives for artisanal fishermen. It also received significant foreign investment funds for various fishery development projects,
as the Somali fishing industry was considered to have a lot of potential owing to its unexploited marine stocks. The government at this time permitted foreign fishing through official licensing or joint venture agreements, forming two such partnerships in the Iraqi-Somali Siadco and Italian-Somali Somital ventures.[31] Sony VGP-BPS10 Battery
Somalia's coral reefs, ecological parks and protected areas.
After the collapse of the central government in the ensuing civil war, the Somali Navy disbanded. With Somali territorial waters undefended, foreign fishing trawlers began illegally fishing on the Somali seaboard and ships from big companies started dumping waste off the coast of Somalia. This led to the erosion of the fish stock. Sony VGP-BPS11 Battery
Local fishermen subsequently started to band together to protect their resources.[5][8][32] After seeing the profitability of ransom payments, some financiers and former militiamen later began to fund pirate activities, splitting the profits evenly with the pirates.[33] Sony VGP-BPS12 Battery
Sony VGP-BPS14B BatteryIn most of the hijackings, the pirates have not harmed their prisoners.[34]
Combined Task Force 150, a multinational coalition task force, subsequently took on the role of fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia by establishing a Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA)
Sony VGP-BPS14/B Batterywithin the Gulf of Aden.[16] However, many foreign naval vessels chasing pirates were forced to break off when the pirates entered Somali territorial waters.[35][36] To address this, in June 2008, following a letter from the Somalian Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
Sony VGP-BPS14 Battery to the President of the UN Security Council requesting assistance for the TFG's efforts to tackle acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a declaration authorizing nations that have the consent of the Transitional Federal Government to enter Somali territorial waters to deal with pirates.[3Sony VGP-BPS13 Battery
7] On the advice of lawyers, the Royal Navy and other international naval forces have often released suspected pirates that they have captured because, although the men are frequently armed, they have not been caught engaging in acts of piracy and have thus not technically committed a crime.[38] Sony VGP-BPS13A Battery
Due to improved anti-piracy measures the success of piracy acts on sea decreased dramatically by the end of 2011 with only four vessels hijacked in the last quarter versus 17 in the last quarter of the preceding year.[39]
Sony VGP-BPS13/Q Battery In response, pirates resorted to increased hostage taking on land.[39] The government of the autonomous Puntland region has also made progress in combating piracy, evident in recent interventions by its maritime police force (PMPF).[40] Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery
In part to further curtail piracy activity, the London Somalia Conference was convened in February 2012.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean had by October 2012 dropped to a six-year low.[3Sony VGP-BPS13/B Battery
0] Attempted hijackings fell from 237 in 2011 to 75 the following year, with successful attacks plummeting from 28 in 2011 to 14 in 2012.[41] Additionally, only 1 ship was attacked in the third quarter of 2012 compared to 36 during the same period in 2011.[30] Sony VGP-BPS13B/S Battery
Summary of recent events[edit source | editbeta]
Main article: List of ships attacked by Somali pirates
Somali pirates have attacked hundreds of vessels in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region, though most attacks do not result in a successful hijacking. In 2008, there were 111 attacks which included 42 successful hijackings.[42Sony PCG-6Z2M battery
Sony PCG-71318M battery] However, this is only a fraction of the up to 30,000 merchant vessels which pass through that area.[43] The rate of attacks in January and February 2009 was about 10 times higher than during the same period in 2008 and "there have been almost daily attacks in March",[42] with 79 attacks,[ Sony PCG-6X2M battery,
Sony PCG-71316M battery4] 21 successful, by mid April. Most of these attacks occur in the Gulf of Aden but the Somali pirates have been increasing their range and have started attacking ships as far south as off the coast of Kenya in the Indian Ocean.[45][46] Below are some notable pirate events which have garnered significant media coverage since 2007. Sony VPCSE2E1E battery
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On 28 May 2007, a Chinese sailor was killed by the pirates because the ship's owners failed to meet their ransom demand.[47] On 5 October 2008, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1838[48] calling on nations with vessels in the area to apply military force to repress the acts of piracy.[ Sony vgp-bpsc24 battery
Sony VPCSD1S1C battery
Sony PCG-4121GM battery49] At the 101st council of the International Maritime Organization, India called for a United Nations peacekeeping force under unified command to tackle piracy off Somalia.[50] (There has been a general and complete arms embargo against Somalia since 1992.)
In November 2008, Sony SVS15 battery
Sony PCG-41214M battery Somali pirates began hijacking ships well outside the Gulf of Aden, perhaps targeting ships headed for the port of Mombasa, Kenya.[51] The frequency and sophistication of the attacks also increased around this time, as did the size of vessels being targetedSony VPCSA2Z9E battery
Sony PCG-41414M batteryLarge cargo ships, oil and chemical tankers on international voyages became the new targets of choice for the Somali hijackers. This is in stark contrast to the pirate attacks which were once frequent in the Strait of Malacca, another strategically important waterway for international trade, Sony SVS13AA11M battery
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which were according to maritime security expert Catherine Zara Raymond, generally directed against "smaller, more vulnerable vessels carrying trade across the Straits or employed in the coastal trade on either side of the Straits."[52] Sony SVS151A11M battery
Sony PCG-41218M battery
On 19 November 2008, the Indian Navy warship INS Tabar sank a suspected pirate mothership.[53] Later, it was claimed to be a Thai trawler being hijacked by pirates.[54] The Indian Navy later defended its actions by stating that they were fired upon first.[55] Sony SVS151A12M battery
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On 21 November 2008, BBC News reported that the Indian Navy had received United Nations approval to enter Somali waters to combat piracy.[56]
On 8 April 2009, four Somali pirates seized the Maersk Alabama 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of the Somalia port city of Eyl.[57] Sony SVS1311E3EW battery
Sony PCG-41211M batteryThe ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, of which 5,000 metric tons were relief supplies bound for Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya.[58][59Sony SVS1311P9EB battery
Sony PCG-4121EM battery] On 12 April 2009, United States Navy SEAL snipers killed the three pirates that were holding Captain Richard Phillips hostage aboard a lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama after determining that Captain Phillips' life was in immediate danger.[60][61Sony SVS1511L3ES battery
Sony PCG-4121DM battery][62] A fourth pirate, Abdul Wali Muse, surrendered and was taken into custody.[63][64] On May 18, a federal grand jury in New York returned a ten-count indictment against him.[65]
On 20 April 2009, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented on the capture and release of 7 Somali pirates by Dutch Naval forces who were on a NATO mission.[66] After an attack on the Handytankers Magic, a petroleum tanker, Sony SVS1511M3EW battery
Sony VPCSE2V9E battery the Dutch frigate De Zeven Provinciën tracked the pirates back to a pirate "mother ship" and captured them.[66][67] They confiscated the pirates' weapons and freed 20 Yemeni fishermen whom the pirates had kidnapped and who had been forced to sail the pirate "mother ship".[66][67Sony PCG-4Q2M battery,
Sony PCG-71315M battery] Since the Dutch Naval Forces were part of a NATO exercise, but not on an EU mission, they lacked legal jurisdiction to keep the pirates so they released them.[66] Clinton stated that this action "sends the wrong signal" and that additional coordination was needed among nations.[66] Sony SVS1511N3ES battery
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On 23 April 2009, international donors pledged over $250 million for Somalia, including $134 million to increase the African Union peacekeeping mission from 4,350 troops to 8,000 troops and $34 million for Somali security forces.[68][6Sony SVS1511T9ES battery
Sony VPCSB4S9E battery9] Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon told delegates at a donors' conference sponsored by the U.N. that "Piracy is a symptom of anarchy and insecurity on the ground", and that "More security on the ground will make less piracy on the seas."[68]
Sony VPCSA3Q9E battery [69] Somali President Sharif Ahmed pledged at the conference that he would fight piracy and to loud applause said that "It is our duty to pursue these criminals not only on the high seas, but also on terra firma".[68][ Sony SVS1511V9EB battery
69] The Somali government has not gone after pirates because pirate leaders currently have more power than the government.[68][69] It has been estimated by piracy experts that in 2008 the pirates gained about $80 million through ransom payments.[68][69] Sony PCG-4Q1M battery
On 2 May 2009, Somali pirates captured the MV Ariana with its 24 Ukrainian crew.[70] The ship was released on 10 December 2009 after a ransom of almost $3,000,000 was paid.[71]
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Armed pirates in the Indian Ocean near Somalia. After the picture was taken, the vessel's crew members opened fire on U.S. Navy ships and the ship's crew members returned fire. One suspected pirate was killed and 12 were taken into custody (see engaged pirate vessels).
On 8 November 2009, Somali pirates threatened that a kidnapped British couple, the Chandlers, would be "punished" if a German warship did not release seven pirates.[7Sony PCG-41212M battery
Sony PCG-31112M battery2] Omer, one of the pirates holding the British couple, claimed the seven men were fishermen, but a European Union Naval Force spokesman stated they were captured as they fired AK-47 assault rifles at a French fishing vessel.[72] Sony PCG-71C11M battery
The Chandlers were released on 14 November 2010 after 388 days of captivity.[73] At least two ransom payments, reportedly over GBP 500 000, had been made.[74] Sony PCG-41215M battery
In April 2010, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) alluded to possible covert and overt action against the pirates. CIA officials had been publicly warning of this potential threat for months. In a Harpers Magazine article, a CIA official said, Sony PCG-71D14M battery
"We need to deal with this problem from the beach side, in concert with the ocean side, but we don't have an embassy in Somalia and limited, ineffective intelligence operations. We need to work in Somalia and in Lebanon, Sony PCG-41216M battery
where a lot of the ransom money has changed hands. But our operations in Lebanon are a joke, and we have no presence at all in Somalia."[75]
In early May 2010, Russian special forces retook a Russian oil tanker that had been hijacked by 11 pirates. One died in the assault, Sony PCG-41217M battery
Sony PCG-41218M battery and a week later Russian military officials reported that the remainder were freed due to weaknesses in international law but died before reaching the Somali coast. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had announced the day the ship was retaken that "We'll have to do what our forefathers did when they met the pirates" until a suitable way of prosecuting them was available.[76]
On 11 May 2010 Somali pirates seized a Bulgarian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden. The Panega, with 15 Bulgarian crew members aboard, was en route from the Red Sea to India or Pakistan. This was the first such hijacking of a Bulgarian-flagged ship. Sony PCG-41212M battery
Sony PCG-31113M battery On 12 May 2010, Athens announced that Somali pirates have seized a Greek vessel in the Gulf of Aden with at least 24 people on board, including two Greek citizens and some Filipinos. The vessel, sailing under the Liberian flag, was transporting iron from Ukraine to China. Sony PCG-61611M battery
On 14 January 2011, while speaking to reporters, Sony PCG-41215M battery
Sony PCG-31112M batteryCommodore Michiel Hijmans of the Royal Netherlands Navy stated that the use of hijacked vessels in more recent hijackings had led to increased range of pirating activities, as well as difficulty to actively thwart future events due to the use of kidnapped sailors as human shields.[77] Sony PCG-61712M battery
On 15 January 2011 thirteen Somali pirates seized the Samho Jewelry, a Maltese-flagged chemical carrier operated by Samho Shipping, 650 km southeast of Muscat. The Republic of Korea Navy destroyer Choi Young shadowed the Samho Jewlry for several days. In the early morning of 21 January 2011, Sony PCG-61813M battery
Sony PCG-61813M battery25 ROK Navy SEALs on small boats launched from the Choi Young boarded the Samho Jewelry while the Choi Youngs Westland Super Lynx provided covering fire. Eight pirates were killed and five captured in the operation; the crew of 21 was freed with the Captain suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach.[78] Sony PCG-71411M battery
On 28 January 2011, an Indian Coast Guard aircraft while responding to a distress call from the CMA CGM Verdi, located two skiffs attempting a piracy attack near Lakshadweep. Seeing the aircraft, the skiffs immediately aborted their piracy attempt and dashed towards the mother vessel, MV Prantalay 14 –Sony PCG-71511M battery
Sony PCG-61611M battery a hijacked Thai trawler, which hurriedly hoisted the two skiffs on board and moved westward. The Indian Navy deployed the INS Cankarso which located and engaged the mothership 100 nautical miles north of the Minicoy island. 10 pirates were killed while 15 were apprehended and 20 Thai and Burmese fishermen being held aboard the ship as hostages were rescued.[79] Sony PCG-91112M battery
Within a week of its previous success, the Indian Navy captured another hijacked Thai trawler, MV Prantalay 11 and captured 28 pirates aboard in an operation undertaken by the INS Tir purusuant to receiving information that a Greek merchant ship had been attacked by pirates on board high-speed boats,
Sony PCG-71C11M battery although it had managed to avoid capture. When INS Tir ordered the pirate ship to stop and be boarded for inspection, it was fired upon. The INS Tir returned fire in which 3 pirates were injured and caused the pirates to raise a white flag indicating their surrender. Sony PCG-71316M battery
The INS Tir subsequently joined by CGS Samar of the Indian Coast Guard. Officials from the Indian Navy reported that a total of 52 men were apprehended, but that 24 are suspected to be Thai fishermen who were hostages of the 28 African pirates.[80] Sony PCG-91311M battery
In late February 2011, piracy targeting smaller yachts and collecting ransom made headlines when four Americans were killed aboard their vessel, the Quest, by their captors, while a military ship shadowed them.[81] A federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, sentenced three members of the gang that seized the yacht to life imprisonment.[82] On 24 February 2011 a Danish family on a yacht were captured by pirates.[83] Sony PCG-71318M battery
In March 2011, the Indian Navy intercepted a pirate mother vessel 600 nautical miles west of the Indian coast in the Arabian Sea on Monday and rescued 13 hostages. Sixty-one pirates have also been caught in the operation carried out by Navy's INS Kalpeni.[84] Sony PCG-6Z2M battery,
In late March 2011, Indian Navy seized 16 suspected pirates after a three-hour-long battle in the Arabian Sea, The navy also rescued 16 crew members of a hijacked Iranian ship west of the Lakshadweep Islands. The crew included 12 Iranians and four Pakistanis.[85] Sony PCG-6X2M battery,
On Jan. 5 2012, an SH-60S Seahawk from the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd, part of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing boat, Al Molai. The master of the Al Molai sent a distress call about the same time reporting pirates were holding him captive. Sony PCG-4Q2M battery
A visit, board, search and seizure team from the Kidd boarded the dhow, a traditional Arabian sailing vessel, and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The Al Molai had been pirated and used as a "mother ship" for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, members of the Iranian vessel's crew reported. [86]
Pirates[edit source | editbeta]
Profile[edit source | editbeta]
A collage of pirates armed with AKM assault rifles, RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and semi-automatic pistols.
Most of the pirates are young.[87] An official list issued in 2010 by the Somali government of 40 apprehended pirate suspects noted that 80% (32/40) Sony PCG-41216M battery
were born in Somalia's southern conflict zones, while only 20% (8/40) came from the more stable northern regions.[88] As of 2012, the pirates primarily operate from the Galmudug region in the central section of the country.[89][90] In previous years, Sony PCG-41217M battery
Sony PCG-41218M batterythey largely ventured into sea from ports in the northeastern Puntland province, until the regional administration launched a major anti-piracy campaign and established a maritime police force (PMPF).[89] Sony PCG-41311M battery
According to a 2008 BBC report, the pirates can be divided into three main categories:
Local fishermen, considered the brains of the pirates' operations due to their skill and knowledge of the sea. Sony PCG-41314M battery
Ex-militiamen, who previously fought for the local clan warlords, or ex-military from the former Barre government used as the muscle.
Technical experts, who operate equipment such as GPS devices.[91]
The closest Somali term for 'pirate' is burcad badeed, which means "ocean robber". However, the pirates themselves prefer to be called badaadinta badah or "saviours of the sea" (often translated as "coastguard").[92] Sony PCG-41315M battery
Methodology[edit source | editbeta]
A captured pirate skiff.
The methods used in a typical pirate attack have been analyzed.[93] They show that while attacks can be expected at any time, most occur during the day, often in the early hours. They may involve two or more skiffs that can reach speeds of up to 25 knots. Sony PCG-4R2M battery
Sony VPCZ12Z9E/B batteryWith the help of motherships that include captured fishing and merchant vessels the operating range of the skiffs has been increased far into the Indian Ocean. An attacked vessel is approached from quarter or stern; RPGs and small arms are used to intimidate the operator to slow down and allow boarding. Sony PCG-4U2M battery
Sony VPCZ12X9E/B battery Light ladders are brought along to climb aboard. Pirates then will try and get control of the bridge to take operational control of the vessel.[93] According to Sky News, pirates also often jettison their equipment in the sea before being arrested, as this lowers the likelihood of a successful prosecution.[27] Sony PCG-6Z4M battery
Weaponry and funding[edit source | editbeta]
The pirates get most of their weapons from Yemen, but a significant amount comes from Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. Sony PCG-6112M battery
Sony VPCZ12V9E batteryWeapons dealers in the capital receive a deposit from a hawala dealer on behalf of the pirates and the weapons are then driven to Puntland where the pirates pay the balance.[91] Various photographs of pirates in situ indicate that their weapons are predominantly AKMs, RPG-7s, AK47s, Sony PCG-6121M battery
Sony VPCZ12M9E/B batteryand semi-automatic pistols such as the TT-30.[94][95] Additionally, given the particular origin of their weaponry, they are likely to have hand grenades such as the RGD-5 or F1. Sony PCG-6122M battery
The funding of piracy operations is now structured in a stock exchange, with investors buying and selling shares in upcoming attacks in a bourse in Harardhere.[96] Pirates say ransom money is paid in large denomination US dollar bills. Sony PCG-6123M battery
It is delivered to them in burlap sacks which are either dropped from helicopters or cased in waterproof suitcases loaded onto tiny skiffs. Ransom money has also been delivered to pirates via parachute, as happened in January 2009 when an orange container with $3 million cash inside was dropped onto the deck of the supertanker MV Sirius Star to secure the release of ship and crew.[97Sony PCG-6124M battery
Sony VPCZ12M9E battery] To authenticate the banknotes, pirates use currency-counting machines, the same technology used at foreign exchange bureaus worldwide. According to one pirate, these machines are, in turn, Sony VPCZ13 battery
purchased from business connections in Dubai, Djibouti, and other areas.[98] Hostages seized by the pirates usually have to wait 45 days or more for the ships' owners to pay the ransom and secure their release.[99] Sony VPCZ13M9E/B battery
In 2008, there were also allegations that the pirates received assistance from some members of the Somali diaspora. Somali expatriates, including some members of the Somali community in Canada, reputedly offered funds, equipment and information.[100] Sony VPCZ13Z9E/X battery
According to the head of the U.N.'s counter-piracy division, Colonel John Steed, the Al-Shabaab group in 2011 increasingly sought to cooperate with the pirate gangs in the face of dwindling funds and resources for their own activities.[101Sony VPCZ21Q9E battery
Sony VPCZ11Z9E/B battery] Steed, however, acknowledged that he had no definite proof of operational ties between the pirates and the Islamist militants. Detained pirates also indicated to UNODC officials that some measure of cooperation with Al-Shabaab militants was necessary
Sony VPCZ11Z9E battery as they have increasingly launched maritime raids from areas in southern Somalia controlled by the insurgent outfit. Al-Shabaab members have also extorted the pirates, demanding protection money from them and forcing seized pirate gang leaders in Harardhere to hand over 20% of future ransom proceeds.[102Sony VPCZ23K9E battery
Sony VPCZ11X9E/B battery] There have also been ties with al-Qaeda receiving funding from pirate operations.[citation needed] A maritime intelligence source told CBS News that it was "‘inconceivable’ to Western intelligence agencies that al Qaeda would not be getting some financial reward from the successful hijackings." Sony VGP-BPL20 battery
Sony VPCZ11X9E batteryThey go on to express concern about this funding link being able to keep the group satisfied as piracy gains more publicity and higher ransoms.[103] Sony VGP-BPS20/B battery
Effects and perceptions[edit source | editbeta]
Costs[edit source | editbeta]
Both positive and negative effects of piracy have been reported.[4] In 2009, pirate income derived from ransoms was estimated at around 39 million euros (about $58 million),[104] rising to $238 million in 2010.[105Sony VGP-BPS20/S battery
Sony VPCZ11 battery] The average ransom had risen to $5.4 million in 2010, up from around $150 thousand in 2005.[106] However, by 2011, pirate ransom income dropped to $160 million, a downward trend which has been attributed to intensified counter-piracy efforts.[4] Sony VGP-BPS13 Battery
Besides the actual cost of paying ransoms, various attempts have been made at gauging indirect costs stemming from the piracy; especially those reportedly incurred over the course of anti-piracy initiatives.[4][107] Sony VGP-BPS13A Battery
During the height of the piracy phenomenon in 2008, local residents complained that the presence of so many armed men made them feel insecure and that their free spending ways caused wild fluctuations in the local exchange rate. Others faulted them for excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and khat.[91] Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery
A 2010 report suggested that piracy off the coast of Somalia led to a decrease of revenue for Egypt as fewer ships use the Suez canal (estimated loss of about $642 million), impeded trade with neighboring countries, and negatively impacted tourism and fishing in the Seychelles.[105][ Sony VGP-BPS13B/B Battery
Sony VGP-BPS21/S Battery108] According to Sky News, around 50% of the world's containers passed through the Horn of Africa coastline as of 2012. The European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) has a yearly budget of over 8 million Euros earmarked for patrolling the 3.2 million square miles.[27]
A 2011 report by Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) suggested that the indirect costs of piracy were much higher and estimated to be between $6.6 to $6.9 billion, as they also included insurance, naval support, legal proceedings, re-routing of slower ships, and individual protective steps taken by ship-owners.[4][105][109][110] Sony VGP-BPS13/B Battery
Another report from 2011 published by the consultancy firm Geopolicity Inc. investigated the causes and consequences of international piracy, with a particular focus on such activity off the coast of Somalia.
Sony VGP-BPS21A BatteryThe paper asserted that what began as an attempt in the mid-1990s by Somali fishermen to protect their territorial waters has extended far beyond their seaboard and grown into an emerging market in its own right. Sony VGP-BPS13B/Q Battery
Sony VGP-BPS21 Battery Due to potentially substantial financial rewards, the report hypothesized that the number of new pirates could swell by 400 persons annually, that pirate ransom income could in turn rise to $400 million per year by 2015, and that piracy costs as a whole could increase to $15 billion over the same period.[111] Sony VGP-BPS13/Q Battery
According to a 2012 investigative piece by the Somalia Report, the OBP paper and other similar reports that attempt to calibrate the global cost of piracy produce inaccurate estimates based on a variety of factors.
Sony VGP-BPS15/B BatteryMost saliently, instead of comparing the actual costs of piracy with the considerable benefits derived from the phenomenon by the maritime industry and local parties capitalizing on capacity-building initiatives, Sony VGP-BSP13/S Battery
Sony VGP-BPS14/S Batterythe OBP paper conflated the alleged piracy costs with the large premiums made by insurance companies and lumped them together with governmental and societal costs.
Sony VGP-BPS15 BatteryThe report also exaggerated the impact that piracy has had on the shipping sector, an industry which has grown steadily in size from 25,000 billion tonnes/miles to 35,000 billion tonnes/miles since the rise of Indian Ocean piracy in 2005. Sony VGP-BPS14/B Battery
Sony VGP-BPS14B Battery Moreover, the global costs of piracy reportedly represent a small fraction of total maritime shipping expenses and are significantly lower than more routine costs, such as those brought on by port theft, bad weather conditions or fuel-related issues. Sony vgp-bps24 battery
Sony PCG-4121GM battery In the United States alone, the National Cargo Security Council estimated that between $10–$15 billion were stolen from ports in 2003, a figure several times higher than the projected global cost of piracy. Additionally, Sony vgp-bpsc24 battery
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Sony PCG-41214M batterywhile the OBP paper alleged that pirate activity has had a significantly negative impact on regional economies, particularly the Kenyan tourism industry, tourist-derived revenue in Kenya rose by 32% in 2011. Sony SVS15 battery
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Sony PCG-41414M battery According to the Somalia Report investigation, the OBP paper also did not factor into its calculations the overall decline in successful pirate attacks beginning in the second half of 2011, a downward trend largely brought about by the increasing use of armed guards.[4]
Benefits[edit source | editbeta] Sony SVE171A11M battery
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Some benefits from the piracy have also been noted. In the earlier years of the phenomenon in 2008, it was reported that many local residents in pirate hubs such as Harardhere appreciated the rejuvenating effect that the pirates' on-shore spending and restocking had on their small towns, Sony SVE151C11M battery
a presence which often provided jobs and opportunity when there were comparatively fewer. Entire hamlets were in the process reportedly transformed into boomtowns, with local shop owners and other residents using their gains to purchase items such as generators for uninterrupted electricity.[98Sony SVE1711T1EB battery
Sony PCG-41213M battery] However, the election of a new administration in 2009 in the northeastern Puntland region saw a sharp decrease in pirate operations, as the provincial authorities launched a comprehensive anti-piracy campaign and established an official maritime police force (PMPF). Since 2010, Sony SVE1711K1EW battery
Sony PCG-41211M battery pirates have mainly operated from the Galmudug region to the south. According to the Somalia Report, the significant infrastructural development evident in Puntland's urban centers has also mainly come from a combination of government development programs, Sony SVE1711V1EB battery
Sony PCG-4121EM battery internal investment by local residents returning to their home regions following the civil war in the south, and especially remittance funds sent by the sizable Somali diaspora.
Sony PCG-4121DM battery The latter contributions have been estimated at around $1.3-$2 billion a year, exponentially dwarfing pirate ransom proceeds, which total only a few million dollars annually and are difficult to track in terms of spending.[112] Sony SVE1711X1EB battery
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Additionally, impoverished fishermen in Kenya's Malindi area in the southeastern African Great Lakes region have reported their largest catches in forty years, catching hundreds of kilos of fish and earning fifty times the average daily wage as a result. Sony SVE1511G1ESI battery
Sony VPCSE2V9E batteryThey attribute the recent abundance and variety of marine stock to the pirates scaring away predatory foreign fishing trawlers, which have for decades deprived local dhows of a livelihood. According to marine biologists, indicators are that the local fishery is recovering because of the lack of commercial scale fishing.[113] Sony SVE1511G1EB battery
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Piracy off the coast of Somalia also appears to have a positive impact on the problem of overfishing in Somali waters by foreign vessels. A comparison has been made with the situation in Tanzania further to the south, Sony SVE1511S1ESI battery
Sony VPCSE2F1E battery which is also affected by predatory fishing by foreign ships and generally lacks the means to effectively protect and regulate its territorial waters. There, catches have dropped to dramatically low levels, whereas in Somalia they have risen back to more acceptable levels since the beginning of the piracy.[114] Sony SVE1511S1EB battery
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Casualties[edit source | editbeta]
Piracy off of the coast of Somalia has reportedly produced some casualties. According to many interviewed maritime security firms, ship owner groups, lawyers and insurance companies, fear of pirate attacks has increased the likelihood of violent encounters at sea, Sony SVE1511B1EW battery
Sony VPCSA3Q9E batteryas untrained or overeager vessel guards have resorted to shooting indiscriminately without first properly assessing the actual threat level. In the process, they have killed both pirates and sometimes innocent fishermen as well as jeopardized the reputation of private maritime security firms with their reckless gun use. Sony SVE1511H1EW battery
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Since many of the new maritime security companies that have emerged often also enlist the services of off-duty policemen and former soldiers that saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, worries of a "Blackwater out in the Indian Ocean" have only intensified.[115] Sony SVE1511J1EW battery
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Of the 4,185 seafarers whose ships had been attacked by the pirates and the 1,090 who were held hostage in 2010, a third were reportedly abused. Some captives have also indicated that they were used as human shields for pirate attacks while being held hostage.[1
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16]
According to Reuters, of the 3,500 captured during a four-year period, 62 died. The causes of death included suicide and malnutrition,[117Sony VPCCB3M1E battery
Sony SVS1511V9ES battery] with 25 of the deaths attributed to murder according to Intercargo.[115] In some cases, the captives have also reported being tortured.[118] Many seafarers are also left traumatized after release.[117] Sony VPCCA3S1E battery
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Profiteers[edit source | editbeta]
According to the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), a veritable industry of profiteers has also risen around the piracy. Insurance companies, in particular, have profited from the pirate attacks, as insurance premiums have increased significantly. Sony VPCCA2S1E battery
DIW reports that, in order to keep premiums high, insurance firms have not demanded that ship owners take security precautions that would make hijackings more difficult. For their part, shipping companies often do not comply with naval guidelines on how best to prevent pirate Sony SVS13A1U9ES battery
Sony SVS1511T9ES batteryattacks in order to cut down on costs. Ship crews have also been reluctant to repel the pirates on account of their low wages and inequitable work contracts. In addition, security contractors and the German arms industry have profited from the phenomenon.[ Sony SVS13AA11M battery
Sony SVS1511N3ES battery5]
Sovereignty and environmental protection[edit source | editbeta]
The former UN envoy for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has stated that "because there is no (effective) government, there is ... much irregular fishing from European and Asian countries,"[11
Sony SVS1511M3EW battery9] and that the UN has what he described as "reliable information" that European and Asian companies are dumping toxic and nuclear waste off the Somali coastline.[120] However, he stresses that "no government has endorsed this act, and that private companies and individuals acting alone are responsible."[12Sony SVS131B12M battery
Sony SVS1511L3ES battery0] In addition, Ould-Abdallah told the press that he approached several international NGOs, such as Global Witness, to trace the illicit fishing and waste-dumping. He added that he believes the toxic waste dumping is "a disaster off the Somali coast, a disaster (for) the Somali environment, the Somali population",Sony SVS151A11M battery
Sony SVS151A12M battery
and that what he terms "this illegal fishing, illegal dumping of waste" helps fuel the civil war in Somalia since the illegal foreign fishermen pay off corrupt local officials or warlords for protection or to secure counterfeit licenses.[119] Ould-Abdallah noted that piracy will not prevent waste dumping: Sony SVS1311E3EW battery
Sony SVS1311P9EB battery
I am convinced there is dumping of solid waste, chemicals and probably nuclear (waste).... There is no government (control) and there are few people with high moral ground[...] The intentions of these pirates are not concerned with protecting their environment. Sony PCG-41311M battery
Sony VGP-BPS20 battery What is ultimately needed is a functioning, effective government that will get its act together and take control of its affairs.
—Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy for Somalia[120]
Somali pirates which captured MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and military hardware, accused European firms of dumping toxic waste off the Somali coast and declared that the $8m ransom for the return of the ship will go towards cleaning up the waste. Sony PCG-41313M battery
Sony VPCZ12Z9E/X batteryThe ransom demand is a means of "reacting to the toxic waste that has been continually dumped on the shores of our country for nearly 20 years", Januna Ali Jama, a spokesman for the pirates said. Sony PCG-41314M battery
Sony VPCZ12Z9E/B battery"The Somali coastline has been destroyed, and we believe this money is nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."[120]
These issues have generally not been reported in international media when reporting on piracy.[121][122Sony PCG-41315M battery
Sony VPCZ12X9E/B battery] According to Muammar al-Gaddafi, "It is a response to greedy Western nations, who invade and exploit Somalia’s water resources illegally. It is not a piracy, it is self defence."[123] Sony PCG-4R2M battery
Pirate leader Sugule Ali said their motive was "to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters ... We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits [to be] those who illegally fish and dump in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas." Sony PCG-4U2M battery
Sony VPCZ12V9E batteryAlso, the independent Somali news-site WardherNews found that 70 percent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence of the country's territorial waters".[124] Sony PCG-6Z4M battery
Waste dumping[edit source | editbeta]
See also: Radioactive waste dumping by the 'Ndrangheta
Following the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, there have emerged allegations that after the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in late 1991, Somalia's long, remote shoreline was used as a dump site for the disposal of toxic waste. Sony PCG-6121M battery
Sony VPCZ12M9E battery The huge waves which battered northern Somalia after the tsunami are believed to have stirred up tonnes of nuclear and toxic waste that was illegally dumped in Somali waters by several European firms —Sony PCG-6122M battery
Sony VPCZ12C7E/B battery front companies created by the Italian mafia.[125] The European Green Party followed up these revelations by presenting before the press and the European Parliament in Strasbourg copies of contracts signed by two European companies—the Italian Swiss firm, Achair Partners, Sony PCG-6123M battery
Sony VPCZ11Z9E/B battery and an Italian waste broker, Progresso—and representatives of the warlords then in power, to accept 10 million tonnes of toxic waste in exchange for $80 million (then about £60 million). Sony PCG-6124M battery
According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment mission, there are far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal hemorrhages and unusual skin infections among many inhabitants of the areas around the northeastern towns of Hobbio and BenadirSony VPCZ13 battery
Sony VPCZ11Z9E battery on the Indian Ocean coast—diseases consistent with radiation sickness. UNEP continues that the current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region.[125][126]
In 1992, reports ran in the European press of "unnamed European firms" contracting with local warlords to dump toxic waste both in Somalia and off Somalia's shores. Sony VPCZ13M9E/B battery
Sony VPCZ11X9E battery The United Nations Environment Program was called in to investigate, and the Italian parliament issued a report later in the decade. Several European "firms" — really front companies created by the Italian mafia — contracted with local Somali warlords to ship hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic industrial waste from Europe to Somalia. Sony VPCZ13V9E battery
—Troy S. Thomas, Warlords rising: confronting violent non-state actors[127]
Under Article 9(1)(d) of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, it is illegal for "any transboundary movement of hazardous wastes or other wastes: Sony VPCZ21Q9E battery
Sony VPCZ11 battery that results in deliberate disposal (e.g. dumping) of hazardous wastes or other wastes in contravention of this Convention and of general principles of international law".[128]
According to Nick Nuttall of the United Nations Environmental Programme, "Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting in the early 1990s, Sony VPCZ23K9E battery
Sony VGP-BPS20/S battery and continuing through the civil war there", and "European companies found it to be very cheap to get rid of the waste, costing as little as $2.50 a tonne, where waste disposal costs in Europe are closer to $1000 per tonne."[120][129] Sony VGP-BPL20 battery
Illegal fishing[edit source | editbeta]
At the same time, foreign trawlers began illegally fishing Somalia's seas, with an estimated $300 million of tuna, shrimp, and lobster being taken each year, depleting stocks previously available to local fishermen. Sony VGN-TT battery
Sony VGN-Z11VN/X batteryThrough interception with speedboats, Somali fishermen tried to either dissuade the dumpers and trawlers or levy a "tax" on them as compensation, as Segule Ali's previously mentioned quote notes. Peter Lehr, Sony VGP-BPL14 battery
a Somalia piracy expert at the University of St. Andrews says "It's almost like a resource swap, Somalis collect up to $100 million a year from pirate ransoms off their coasts and the Europeans and Asians poach around $300 million a year in fish from Somali waters."[130][131
Sony VGN-Z51XG/B battery] The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) issued a report in 2005 stating that, between 2003 and 2004, Somalia lost about $100 million in revenue due to illegal tuna and shrimp fishing in the country's exclusive economic zone by foreign trawlers.[6] Sony VGP-BPL14/S battery
According to Roger Middleton of Chatham House, "The problem of overfishing and illegal fishing in Somali waters is a very serious one, and does affect the livelihoods of people inside Somalia [...] the dumping of toxic waste on Somalia's shores is a very serious issue, Sony VGP-BPS14/B battery
Sony VGN-Z51WG/B batterywhich will continue to affect people in Somalia long after the war has ended, and piracy is resolved."[132] To lure fish to their traps, foreign trawlers reportedly also use fishing equipment under prohibition such as nets with very small mesh sizes and sophisticated underwater lighting systems.[119] Sony VGN-Z11MN/B battery
Under Article 56(1)(b)(iii) of the Law of the Sea Convention:
"In the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State has jurisdiction as provided for in the relevant provisions of this Convention with regard to the protection and preservation of the marine environment".Sony VGN-Z21MN/B battery
Article 57 of the Convention in turn outlines the limit of that jurisdiction:
"The exclusive economic zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured".[133] Sony VGN-Z21XN battery
Anti-piracy measures[edit source | editbeta]
It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article titled Anti-piracy measures in Somalia. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2013. Sony VGN-Z31 battery
Self-defense[edit source | editbeta]
The third volume of the handbook: Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and in the Arabian Sea Area (known as BMP3) is the current authoritative guide for merchant ships on self-defense against pirates. Sony VGN-Z31ZN/B battery
The guide is issued and updated by a consortium of interested international shipping and trading organizations including the EU, NATO and the International Maritime Bureau.[93] Sony VGN-Z31VN/X battery
It is distributed primarily by the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) – the planning and coordination authority for EU naval forces (EUNAVFOR). BMP3 encourages vessels to register their voyages through the region with MSCHOA as this registration is a key component of the operation of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) Sony VGN-Z51 battery
Sony VGN-Z51XTG/B battery (the navy patrolled route through the Gulf of Aden). BMP3 also contains a chapter entitled "Self-Protective Measures" which lays out a list of steps a merchant vessel can take on its own to make itself less of a target to pirates and make it better able to repel an attack if one occurs.
Sony VGN-Z31XN/B batteryThis list includes doing thing like ringing the deck of the ship with razor wire, rigging fire-hoses to spray sea-water over the side of the ship (to hinder boardings), having a distinctive pirate alarm, Sony VGN-Z51WG battery
Sony VGN-Z41WD/B batteryhardening the bridge against gunfire and creating a "citadel" where the crew can retreat in the event pirates get on board. Other unofficial self-defense measures that can be found on merchant vessels include the setting up of mannequins posing as armed guards or firing flares at the pirates.[134] Sony VGN-Z51XG battery
Though it varies by country, generally peacetime law in the 20th and 21st centuries has not allowed merchant vessels to carry weapons. As a response to the rise in modern piracy, however, the U.S. Government changed its rules so that it is now possible for US-flagged vessels to embark a team of armed private security guards. Sony VGN-Z battery
Other countries and organisations have similarly followed suit.[135] This has given birth to a new breed of private security companies who provide training and protection for crew members and cargo and have proved effective in countering pirate attacks.[136][ Sony VGP-BPL12 battery
Sony VGP-BPS12 battery137] The USCG leaves it to ship owners' discretion to determine if those guards will be armed.[138][139] Seychelles has become a central location for international anti-piracy operations, hosting the Anti-Piracy Operation Center for the Indian Ocean. In 2008, VSOS became the first authorized armed maritime security company to operate in the Indian Ocean region.[140] Sony PCG-41313M battery
With safety trials complete in the late 2000s, laser dazzlers have been developed for defensive purposes on super-yachts.[141] They can be effective up to 2.5 miles with the effects going from mild disorientation to flash blindness at closer range.[142] Sony PCG-41315M battery
In February 2012, Italian Marines based on the tanker Enrica Lexie allegedly fired on an Indian fishing trawler off Kerala, killing two of her eleven crew. The Marines allegedly mistook the fishing vessel as a pirate vessel. Sony PCG-4R2M battery
Sony VPCZ12Z9E/X batteryThe incident sparked a diplomatic row between India and Italy. Enrica Lexie was ordered into Kochi where her crew were questioned by officers of the Indian Police.[143] The fact is still sub juris and its legal eventual outcome could influence future deployment of VPDs,
Sony VPCZ12Z9E/B batterysince states will be either encouraged or discouraged to provide them depending on whether functional immunity is ultimately granted or denied to the Italians.[144]
Another similar incident has been reported to have happened in the Red Sea between the coasts of Somalia and Yemen, involving the death of a Yemeni fisherman allegedly at the hands of a Russian Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) on board of a Norwegian flagged vessel.[145][146] Sony PCG-4R2M battery
However, despite VPD deployment being controversial because of these incidents, according to the Associated Press,[147] during a United Nations Security Council conference about piracy "U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice told the council that no ship carrying armed guards has been successfully attacked by pirates"Sony PCG-4U2M battery
Sony VPCZ12V9E battery and "French Ambassador Gerard Araud stressed that private guards do not have the deterrent effect that government-posted marine and sailors and naval patrols have in warding off attacks".
Military presence[edit source | editbeta]
Ships of the multinational fleet Combined Task Force 150, March 2004.
From the left: DM F-213 Augsburg, JMSDF DD-106 Samidare, RNZN F-111 Te Mana, JMSDF DDG-175 Myōkō, MMI F-573 Scirocco, Spanish Navy Victoria (F82), US Navy USS Leyte Gulf, JMSDF AOE-422 Towada, USS Cushing Sony PCG-6112M battery
The military response to pirate attacks has brought about a rare show of unity by countries that are either openly hostile to each other, or at least wary of cooperation, military or otherwise.
Currently there are three international naval task forces in the region, with numerous national vessels and task forces entering and leaving the region, Sony PCG-6122M battery
Sony VPCZ12M9E/B batteryengaging in counter-piracy operations for various lengths of time. The three international task forces which comprise the bulk of counter-piracy operations are Combined Task Force 150 (whose overarching mission is Operation Enduring Freedom), Combined Task Force 151 Sony PCG-6123M battery
Sony VPCZ12M9E battery (which was set up in 2009 specifically to run counter-piracy operations)[148] and the EU naval task force operating under Operation Atalanta. All counter-piracy operations are coordinated through a monthly planning conference called Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE).[149] Sony VPCZ13 battery
Originally having representatives only from NATO, the EU, and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) HQ in Bahrain, it now regularly attracts representatives from over 20 countries.
Part of Operation Atalanta, the Maestrale class frigate ITS Maestrale (F570) prepares to take on fuel alongside the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA-1) during an underway replenishment in the Indian Ocean. Sony VPCZ13V9E battery
As part of the international effort, Europe plays a significant role in combating piracy off of the coast of the Horn of Africa. The European Union under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) launched EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation Atalanta (in support of Resolutions 1814 (2008), 1816 (2008),
Sony VPCZ12C7E/B battery1838 (2008) and 1846 (2008) of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)). This operation is working to protect humanitarian aid and reduce the disruption to the shipping routes and the de-stabilising of the maritime environment in the region. To date, 26 countries have brought some kind of contribution to the operation. Sony VPCZ21Q9E battery
Sony VPCZ11Z9E/B battery13 EU Member States have provided an operational contribution to EU NAVFOR, either with ships, with maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, or with Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) team. Sony VPCZ23K9E battery
Sony VPCZ11Z9E batteryThis includes France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom (also hosting the EU NAVFOR Operational headquarters), Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta and Estonia. Sony VGP-BPL20 battery
Sony VPCZ11X9E/B battery 9 other EU Member States have participated in the effort providing military staff to work at the EU NAVFOR Operational Headquarters (Northwood Headquarters – UK) or onboard units. These are Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Ireland and Finland. Finally, Sony VGP-BPS20/B battery
Sony VPCZ11X9E battery4 non-EU Member States, Norway (who has also provided an operational contribution with a warship regularly deploying), Croatia, Ukraine and Montenegro, have so far also brought their contribution to EU NAVFOR. Sony VGP-BPS20/S battery
At any one time, the European force size fluctuates according to the monsoon seasons, which determine the level of piracy. It typically consists of 5 to 10 Surface Combatants (Naval ships), 1 to 2 Auxiliary ships and 2 to 4 Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft. Including land-based personnel, Sony VGP-BPL14 battery
Sony VGN-Z11VN/X battery Operation Atalanta consists of a total of around 2,000 military personnel. EU NAVFOR operates in a zone comprising the south of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the western part of the Indian Ocean including the Seychelles, which represents an area of 2,000,000 square nautical miles. Sony VGP-BPL14/B battery
Additionally, there are, and have been, several naval deployments by non-multinational task forces in the past. Some notable ones include:
On 29 May 2009, Australia pledged its support, redirecting Australian Warship, HMAS Warramunga from duties in the Persian Gulf to assist in the fighting of Piracy.[150]
On 26 December 2008, China dispatched two destroyers Haikou (171), Sony VGP-BPS14 battery
Sony VGN-Z51XG/B batteryWuhan (169) and the supply ship Weishanhu (887) to the Gulf of Aden. A team of 16 Chinese Special Forces members from its Marine Corps armed with attack helicopters were on board.[151][152Sony VGP-BPS14/B battery
Sony VGN-Z51WG/B battery] Subsequent to their initial deployment, China has maintained a three-ship flotilla of two warships and one supply ship in the Gulf of Aden by assigning ships to the area on a three-month basis.
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement and the visit, board, search, and seizure team embarked aboard USS Princeton (CG-59) engage in a mock assault operation in the Red Sea.
The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy both support the actions of the Combined Task Force 151 in their anti-piracy missions in the area.[153]
To protect Indian ships and Indian citizens employed in seafaring duties, Indian Navy commenced anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden from 23 Oct 08. A total of 21[154Sony VGN-Z21MN/B battery
Sony VGN-Z31XN/B battery] IN ships have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden since Oct 08. In addition to escorting Indian flagged ships, ships of other countries have also been escorted. Merchant ships are currently being escorted along the entire length of the (490 nm long and 20 nm wide) Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) Sony VGN-Z21WN/B battery
Sony VGN-Z41WD/B battery that has been promulgated for use by all merchant vessels. A total of 1181 ships (144 Indian flagged and 1037 foreign flagged from different countries) have been escorted by IN ships in the Gulf of Aden since Oct 08. Sony VGN-Z21XN battery
Sony VGP-BPS12/Q batteryDuring its deployments for anti-piracy operations, the Indian Naval ships have prevented 15 piracy attempts on merchant vessels.
In response to the increased activity of the INS Tabar, India sought to augment its naval force in the Gulf of Aden by deploying the larger INS Mysore to patrol the area. Somalia also added India to its list of states, including the U.S. Sony VGN-Z21ZN/X battery
and France, who are permitted to enter its territorial waters, extending up to 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) from the coastline, in an effort to check piracy.[155] An Indian naval official confirmed receipt of a letter acceding to India's prerogative to check such piracy. Sony VGN-Z31MN/B battery
"We had put up a request before the Somali government to play a greater role in suppressing piracy in the Gulf of Aden in view of the United Nations resolution. The TFG government gave its nod recently."[156] Sony VGN-Z31VN/X battery
Sony VGP-BPS12 battery India also expressed consideration to deploy up to four more warships in the region.[157][158] On 14 March 2011, the Indian navy reportedly had seized 61 pirates and rescued 13 crew from the vessel, which had been used as a mother ship from where pirates launched attacks around the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi ship hijacked by pirates last year was freed after a ransom was paid.[159] Sony VGN-Z31WN/B battery
Norway announced on 27 February 2009, that it would send the frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen to the coast of Somalia to fight piracy. Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen joined EU NAVFOR's international naval force in August.[160] Sony VGN-Z31ZN/B battery
Russia also chose to send more warships to combat piracy near Somalia following the announcement from the International Maritime Bureau terming the menace as having gone "out of control."[161] Sony VGN-Z51 battery
Anti-piracy boarding, December 2011
Due to their proximity to Somalia, the coast guard of Seychelles has become increasingly involved in counter-piracy in the region. On 30 March 2010, a Seychelles Coast Guard Trinkat class patrol vessel rescued 27 hostages and sank two pirate vessels. Sony VGN-Z11MN/B battery
Other non-NATO and non-EU countries have, at one time or another, contributed to counter-piracy operations. Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Iran have all sent ships to the region, sometimes joining with the existing CTFs, sometimes operating independently.[162] Sony VGN-Z11WN/B battery
Royal Australian Air Force Lockheed P-3 Orion surveillance plane patrol the ocean between the southern coast of Oman and the Horn of Africa. Sony PCG-4121DL Battery
Sony PCG-41414L Battery
The anti-piracy flights are operated from UAE.[163] The Spanish Air Force also deployed P-3s to assist the international effort against piracy in Somalia. On 29 October 2008, a Spanish P-3 aircraft patrolling the coast of Somalia reacted to a distress call from an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. In order to deter the pirates, Sony PCG-4121EL Battery
Sony PCG-4121FL Battery
the aircraft flew over the pirates three times as they attempted to board the tanker, dropping a smoke bomb on each pass. After the third pass, the attacking pirate boats broke off their attack.[164] Later, on 29 March 2009, the same P-3 pursued the assailants of the German navy tanker Spessart (A1442), Sony PCG-4121GL Battery
Sony PCG-41413L Battery resulting in the capture of the pirates.[165] In April 2011, the Portuguese Air Force also contributed to Operation Ocean Shield by sending a P-3C[166] which had early success when on its fifth mission detected a pirate whaler with two attack skiffs.[1Sony PCG-41211L Battery
Sony PCG-41412L Battery67]
A maritime conference was also held in Mombasa to discuss the rising concern of regional piracy with a view to give regional and world governments recommendations to deal with the menace. The International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF) Sony PCG-41212L Battery
Sony PCG-41411L Batteryorganised the regional African maritime unions’ conference, the first of its kind in Africa. Godfrey Matata Onyango, executive secretary of the Northern Corridor Transit Coordination Authority said that "We cannot ignore to discuss the piracy menace because it poses a huge challenge to the maritime industry and if not controlled, it threats to chop off the regional internal trade. Sony PCG-41213L Battery
Sony PCG-41218L Battery The cost of shipping will definitely rise as a result of the increased war insurance premium due to the high risk off the Gulf of Aden."[citation needed][168][dead link] In 2008 Pakistan offered the services of the Pakistan Navy to the United Nations in order to help combat the piracy in Somalia "provided a clear mandate was given."[169] Sony PCG-41214L Battery
Sony PCG-41215L Battery
Current fleet of vessels in operation[edit source | editbeta]
This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2010)
Vessels, aircraft and personnel whose primary mission is to conduct anti-piracy activities come from different countries and are assigned to the following missions: Sony PCG-41216L Battery
Sony PCG-41217L BatteryOperation Ocean Shield (NATO and partner states), Atalanta (EU and partner states), Combined Task Force 151, independent missions of Japan, India, Russia, PR China, South Korea, Iran, Malaysia[clarification needed]. Additionally resources dedicated for the War on Terror missions of Combined Task Force 150 and Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa also operate against the pirates. sony PCG-4R2L battery
On 28 January 2009, Japan announced its intention of sending a naval task force to join international efforts to stop piracy off the coast of Somalia. The deployment would be highly unusual, as Japan's non-aggressive constitution means Japanese military forces can only be used for defensive purposes. The issue has been controversial in Japan, sony PCG-4R1L battery
although the ruling party maintains this should be seen as fighting crime on the high seas, rather than a "military" operation. The process of the Prime Minister of Japan, Taro Aso, giving his approval is expected to take approximately one month.[186] However, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sony PCG-4Q3L battery
and the Japanese government face legal problems on how to handle attacks by pirates against ships that either have Japanese personnel, cargo or are under foreign control instead of being under Japanese control as current Article 9 regulations would hamper their actions when deployed to Somalia.[21sony PCG-4Q1L battery
sony PCG-6Z3L battery8] It was reported on 4 February 2009, that the JMSDF was sending a fact-finding mission led by Gen Nakatani to the region prior to the deployment of the Murasame-class destroyer JDS DD-106 Samidare and the Takanami-class destroyersony PCG-6X2L battery
sony PCG-6Z2L battery JDS DD-113 Sazanami to the coast of Somalia with a 13-man team composed of Japanese Ministry of Defense personnel, with members coming from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the JMSDF to visit Yemen, Djibouti, Oman, and Bahrain from February 8 to 20.[219][2
sony PCG-6Z1L battery20] Both JMSDF vessels are units of the 8th Escort Division of the 4th Escort Flotilla based in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture.[221sony PCG-6X6L battery
sony PCG-6XBL battery] The JMSDF's special forces unit, the Special Boarding Unit is also scheduled to potentially deploy to Somalia.[222][223] The SBU has been deployed alongside the two destroyers to Somalia on 14 March 2009.[ sony PCG-6X7L battery
224] According to JMSDF officials, the deployment would "regain the trust of the shipping industry, which was lost during the war."[225] The JMSDF task force would be deployed off the coast of Somalia for 4 months.[22sony PCG-6X8L battery
sony PCG-6XAL battery6] In its first mission, the Takanami-class destroyer JDS DD-113 Sazanami was able to ward off pirates attempting to hijack a Singaporean cargo ship.[227] In addition, JMSDF P-3Cs are to be deployed in June from Djibouti to conduct surveillance on the Somali coast.[228][2Sony PCG-61A11L Battery
Sony PCG-91311L Battery
29] The House of Representatives of Japan has passed an anti-piracy bill, calling for the JMSDF to protect non-Japanese ships and nationals, though there are some concerns that the pro-opposition House of Councillors may reject it.[230] Sony PCG-61A13L Battery
Sony PCG-61A14L Battery
Sony PCG-91211L BatteryThe Diet of Japan has passed an anti-piracy law that called for JMSDF forces to protect all foreign ships traveling off the coast of Somalia aside from protecting Japanese-owned/manned ships despite a veto from the House of Councillors, which the House of Representatives have overturned.[2Sony PCG-71C11L Battery
Sony PCG-71914L Battery31] In 2009, the destroyers Harusame and DD-154 Amagiri left port from Yokusuka to replace the two destroyers that had been dispatched earlier on March 2009.[23
Sony PCG-71913L Battery2] Under current arrangements, Japan Coast Guard officers would be responsible for arresting pirates since SDF forces are not allowed to have powers of arrest.[233Sony PCG-71C12L Battery]
The South Korean navy is also making plans to participate in anti-piracy operations after sending officers to visit the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain and in Djibouti.[234] The South Korean cabinet had approved a government plan to send in South Korean navy ships and soldiers to the coast of Somalia to participate in anti-pirate operations.[18Sony PCG-61714L Battery
Sony PCG-71911L Battery
Sony PCG-71912L Battery8] The ROKN was sending the Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer DDH 976 Munmu the Great to the coast of Somalia.[235] The Cheonghae Unit task force was also deployed in Somalia under CTF 151.[236] Sony PCG-61813L Battery
Sony PCG-71811L Battery
The Swiss government calls for the deployment of Army Reconnaissance Detachment operators to combat Somali piracy with no agreement in Parliament[237] as the proposal was rejected after it was voted.[238] Javier Solana had said that Swiss soldiers could serve under the EU's umbrella.[239]
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The Philippine government ordered the dispatch of a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer to work with the US Navy's 5th Fleet as part of its contribution against piracy.[240]
On 12 June 2009, Bulgaria also announced plans to join the anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and protect Bulgarian shipping, by sending a frigate with a crew of 130 sailors.[241]
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The Danish Institute for Military Studies has in a report[dead link] proposed to establish a regionally based maritime unit: a Greater Horn of Africa Sea Patrol, Sony PCG-61911L Battery
Sony PCG-61913L Batteryto carry out surveillance in the area to secure free navigation and take on tasks such as fishery inspection and environmental monitoring. A Greater Horn of Africa Sea Patrol would comprise elements from the coastal states – from Egypt in the north to Tanzania in the south.
Sony PCG-61317L Battery
The unit would be established with the support of the states that already have a naval presence in the area.[242]
In February 2010, Danish special forces from the Absalon freed 25 people from the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel Ariella after it was hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast. The crew members had locked themselves into a store-room.[243][244] Sony PCG-61713L Battery
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Southern African waters are becomingly an increasingly attractive alternative to the more protected Eastern African sea lanes. The recent rise in counter-piracy patrols is pushing more pirates down the coast line into unprotected areas of the Indian Ocean, which will require the joint navies’ current patrols to widen their search area.[245] Sony PCG-91111L Battery
Sony PCG-91112L Battery
In January 2012, US military forces freed an American and a Danish hostage after a gun battle with pirates during a night-time helicopter raid in Somalia. Two US helicopters attacked the site where the hostages were being held, 12 miles north of the town of Adado. Nine pirates were killed. There were no US casualties.[246] Sony PCG-71312L Battery
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In May 2012, EU Navfor conducted their first raid on pirate bases on the Somali mainland, destroying 5 pirate boats. The EU forces were transported by helicopter to the bases near the port of Harardhere, a well known pirate lair. The operation was carried out with the full support of the Somali government.[247][248] Sony PCG-71311L Battery
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Somalia[edit source | editbeta]
Puntland[edit source | editbeta]
Between 2009 and 2010, the government of the autonomous Puntland region in northeastern Somalia enacted a number of reforms and pre-emptive measures as a part of its officially declared anti-piracy campaign. Sony PCG-71217L Battery
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The latter included the arrest, trial and conviction of pirate gangs, as well as raids on suspected pirate hideouts and confiscation of weapons and equipment; ensuring the adequate coverage of the regional authority's anti-piracy efforts by both local and international media; Sony PCG-71315L Battery
Sony PCG-61312L Battery sponsoring a social campaign led by Islamic scholars and community activists aimed at discrediting piracy and highlighting its negative effects; and partnering with the NATO alliance to combat pirates at sea.[2Sony PCG-71316L Battery
Sony PCG-61311L Battery49] In May 2010, construction also began on a new naval base in the town of Bandar Siyada, located 25 km west of Bosaso, the commercial capital of Puntland.[21] The facility is funded by Puntland's regional government in conjunction with Saracen International, a UK-based security company, Sony PCG-71317L Battery
Sony PCG-61215L Battery and is intended to assist in more effectively combating piracy. The base will include a center for training recruits, and a command post for the naval force.[21] These numerous security measures appear to have borne fruit, as many pirates were apprehended in 2010, including a prominent leader. Sony PCG-71318L Battery
Sony PCG-61211L Battery [20] Puntland's security forces also reportedly managed to force out the pirate gangs from their traditional safe havens such as Eyl and Gar'ad,[250] with the pirates now primarily operating from Hobyo, El Danaan and Harardhere in the neighboring Galmudug region.[250]
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Following a Transitional Federal Government-Puntland cooperative agreement in August 2011 calling for the creation of a Somali Marine Force, of which the already established Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) would form a part, the Puntland administration resumed training of PMPF naval officials.[2Sony PCG-71211L Battery
51] The Puntland Maritime Police Force is a locally recruited, professional maritime security force that is primarily aimed at fighting piracy off of the coast of Somalia, safeguarding the nation's marine resources,[251] and providing logistics support to humanitarian efforts.[ Sony PCG-71212L Battery
Sony PCG-71215L Battery252] Supported by the United Arab Emirates,[251] PMPF officials are also trained by the Japanese Coast Guard.[253]
Galmudug[edit source | editbeta]
Government officials from the Galmudug administration in the north-central Hobyo district have also reportedly attempted to use pirate gangs as a bulwark against Islamist insurgents from southern Somalia's conflict zones;[254Sony PCG-9Z1L Battery
Sony PCG-8151L Battery] other pirates are alleged to have reached agreements of their own with the Islamist groups, although a senior commander from the Hizbul Islam militia vowed to eradicate piracy by imposing sharia law when his group briefly took control of Harardhere in May 2010 and drove out the local pirates.[254][255] Sony PCG-9Z2L Battery
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By the first half of 2010, these increased policing efforts by Somali government authorities on land along with international naval vessels at sea reportedly contributed to a drop in pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden from 86 a year prior to 33, forcing pirates to shift attention to other areas such as the Somali Basin and the wider Indian Ocean.[20][22][23] Sony PCG-7142L Battery
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Somaliland[edit source | editbeta]
The government of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia,[256Sony PCG-7153L Battery
Sony PCG-8131L Battery] has adopted stringent anti-piracy measures, arresting and imprisoning pirates forced to make port in Berbera. According to officials in Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, the Somaliland Coast Guard acts as an effective deterrent to piracy in waters under its jurisdiction.[257][258] Sony PCG-7154L Battery
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Arab League summit[edit source | editbeta]
Following the seizure by Somali pirates of an Egyptian ship and a Saudi oil supertanker worth $100 million of oil, the Arab League, after a meeting in Cairo, has called for an urgent summit for countries overlooking the Red Sea, Sony PCG-7161L Battery
Sony PCG-7162L Batteryincluding Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Jordan, Djibouti and Yemen. The summit would offer several solutions for the piracy problem, in addition to suggesting different routes and looking for a more secure passageway for ships.
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Another possible means of intervention by the Red Sea Arab nations' navy might be to assist the current NATO anti-piracy effort as well as other navies.[259]
United Nations[edit source | editbeta] Sony PCG-7171L Battery
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In June 2008, following a letter from the Somalian Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to the President of the UN Security Council requesting assistance for the TFG's efforts to tackle acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia, Sony PCG-7173L Battery
Sony PCG-7183L Batterythe UN Security Council unanimously passed a declaration authorizing nations that have the consent of the Transitional Federal Government to enter Somali territorial waters to deal with pirates.[37Sony PCG-7174L Battery] The measure, which was sponsored by France, the United States and Panama, lasted six months. France initially wanted the resolution to include other regions with pirate problems, such as West Africa, but were opposed by Vietnam, Libya and most importantly by veto-holding China, who wanted the sovereignty infringement limited to Somalia.[260] Sony PCG-7181L Battery
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The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on 20 November 2008, that was proposed by Britain to introduce tougher sanctions against Somalia over the country's failure to prevent a surge in sea piracy.[ Sony PCG-71111L Battery
Sony VPCF115FM battery 261] The US circulated the draft resolution that called upon countries having naval capacities to deploy vessels and aircraft to actively fight against piracy in the region. The resolution also welcomed the initiatives of the European Union, Sony PCG-81111L Battery
Sony PCG-81411L Battery NATO and other countries to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia. US Alternate Representative for Security Council Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said that the draft resolution "calls on the secretary-general to look at a long-term solution to escorting the safe passage of World Food Programme ships."[26Sony PCG-81112L Battery
2] Even Somalia's Islamist militants stormed the Somali port of Harardheere in the hunt for pirates behind the seizure of a Saudi supertanker, the MV Sirius Star. A clan elder affiliated with the Islamists said
Sony PCG-81314L Battery "The Islamists arrived searching for the pirates and the whereabouts of the Saudi ship. I saw four cars full of Islamists driving in the town from corner to corner. The Islamists say they will attack the pirates for hijacking a Muslim ship."[263] Sony PCG-81113L Battery
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On 17 December 2008, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a tougher resolution, allowing for the first time international land and sea occupations in the pursuit of pirates.[264] Four ships, a Chinese fishing boat, Sony PCG-81214L Battery
a Turkish cargo ship, a Malaysian tug, and a private yacht were seized by pirates that same day.[265] Resolution 1851 takes current anti-piracy measures a step further.[266]
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A Russian drafted resolution, Security Council Resolution 1918, adopted on 27 April 2010, called on all states to criminalise piracy and suggested the possibility of establishing a regional or international tribunal to prosecute suspected pirates.[267] Sony PCG-81311L Battery
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Pursuant to resolution 1976 and resolution 2015, both adopted in 2011, the United Nations Security Council has called for more structured international support for Somalia's Transitional Federal Government as well as Puntland and other regional authorities in Somalia in creating counter-piracy special courts, laws, prisons and policing capabilities. Sony VPCF115FM battery
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Resolution 1976 also encourages regional and federal actors to engage in more effective marine resource defence against illegal fishing and toxic waste dumping in areas under their jurisdiction.[268][269] Sony VPCF11MFX battery
On 19 November 2012 UN Security Council held an open meeting discuss piracy. The debate, which was the first held by the Security Council about this subject, was called by Indian Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri and heard more than 40 speakers from different countries and international organizations.[147][270] Sony VPCF11FGX battery
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Private initiatives[edit source | editbeta]
Armed guard escort on a merchant ship.
There have been reports of pirates repelled by private initiatives. One such case would have occurred by the end of 2008, by armed personnel of transportation entrepreneur Barthe Cortes.[271][272Sony VPCF11LFX battery
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] VSOS, a Seychelles based company was authorized in 2008 by the authorities of Seychelles to operate armed maritime security guards. From this strategic hub the company extends its operations throughout the Indian Ocean.[273] Sony VPCF117FX battery
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Other vessel owners and shipping line companies have also hired private security outfits for assistance. One such firm is Espada Logistics and Security Group based in San Antonio, Texas, whose security officers provide on-board protection from a ship's point of entry to its point of destination. Sony VPCF11KFX battery
Sony VPCF11PFX batteryThey also offer anti-piracy training en route to the Gulf of Aden,[274][275] and have teamed up with African Shipping Lines, a leading international shipping line company, to provide security to vessels traveling along the coast of East Africa.[276] Another private venture is MUSC, which specializes in counterpiracy and ship security.[277] Sony VPCF11CGX battery
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As of 21 May 2012, Nick Maroukis of Triton Risk MSS states that not a single vessel with armed privately contracted maritime security contractors has been successfully hijacked by the pirates. A table of incidents from October to December 2011 shows pirate successes against armed and unarmed vessels.[278] Sony VPCF111FX battery
Sony VPCF11BFX battery Pirates have steadily ventured further across the Lloyd's Joint War Committee (JWC) designated high risk area (HRA) in order to evade naval patrols and search for easier targets. This is just one example of how pirates adapt their tactics to counter-piracy measures. Sony VPCF11GGX battery
Sony VPCF11AFX battery Triton Risk MSS has produced a short analysis which highlights other probable shifts in pirate tactics, techniques and procedures in 2012/13.[279] The maritime security industry has been actively trying to introduce self-regulation for private contracted armed security companies (PCASP) Sony VPCF11NFX battery
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Sony VPCF1190X battery since 2010. Main industry actors are: Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) and the International Association of Maritime Security Professionals (IAMSP). Governmental initiatives include the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Swiss government's International Code of Conduct (ICOC) initiative. As of spring 2012, Dell Latitude E4310 Battery
one of the largest ship owners/operators organizations, BIMCO, has launched another initiative to bring standards into the maritime security industry though use of PCASP contracts for its members (called GUARDCON) and ISO accreditation and certification standards for PCASPs.
Legislation[edit source | editbeta] Dell Latitude E5400 Battery
Jurisdiction[edit source | editbeta]
In June 2008, following a letter from the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) to the President of the UN Security Council requesting assistance for the Somali authorities' efforts at tackling acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean, Dell Latitude E5420 Battery
Dell Latitude E6430S XFR Battery the UN Security Council unanimously passed a declaration authorizing nations that have the consent of the Somali government to enter Somali territorial waters to deal with pirates.[37] Dell Latitude E5500 Battery
Suspected pirates captured in international waters have been tried in various countries. The Somali government questioned the authority of foreign countries to prosecute the pirates abroad. In response, the European Union attempted to focus the prosecutions closer to the Horn of Africa littoral by involving nearby territories.[280] Dell Latitude E6120 Battery
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In January 2011, a report by UN Special Advisor on piracy Jack Lang proposed that two special anti-piracy courts should be established in the stable northern Puntland and Somaliland regions of Somalia. It also recommended that a Somali extraterritorial tribunal be created in neighbouring Tanzania. Dell Latitude E6220 Battery
Dell Latitude E6430 BatteryThis prospective court would be subject to Somali law and function, but would be based outside of Somalia due to the conflict that was then taking place in the southern part of the country. However, the latter proposal was rejected by the Somali authorities. This, along with legal, Dell Latitude E6320 Battery
Dell Latitude E5530 Batteryfinancial and security-related concerns, prompted the US government to also oppose the recommendation of a Somali extraterritorial tribunal. A British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report issued in January 2012 likewise rejected the idea as well as that of an international court, Dell Latitude E6400 Battery
Dell Latitude E5430 Battery and recommended instead that special anti-piracy courts operating under national laws in nearby states should be established.[281]
In 2011, the autonomous Puntland and Somaliland regions of Somalia each reached a security-related memorandum of understanding with the Seychelles. Dell Latitude E6410 Battery
Dell Latitude E5420M Battery Following the framework of an earlier agreement signed between the Transitional Federal Government and the Seychelles, the memorandum called for the transfer of convicted pirates to prison facilities in Puntland and Somaliland.[2Dell Latitude E6420 Battery
Dell Latitude E5520 Battery82] The TFG and the two regional administrations later signed a similar cooperative agreement with Mauritius in 2012, with the island nation scheduled to take on pirate suspects for trial and prosecution starting in June of the year.[283] Dell Latitude E6420 ATG Battery
Kenya concurrently began serving as an additional location for trials of pirate suspects. In October 2012, its Court of Appeal stated that the country's courts could try pirates captured on international waters, as universal jurisdiction permitted all states to do so.[2Dell Latitude E6500 Battery
84] In January 2013, the Somali government indicated that pirates interned in Kenya would be transferred to Somalia. The plan was conceived by the Somali authorities, although no specific date for the transfer was announced.[285] Dell Latitude E6520 Battery
As Somalia further develops its courts and prison facilities in coordination with the UNODC Counter Piracy Program, pirates held in other territories are expected to be transferred for domestic detention.[286] Dell Latitude E6400 ATG Battery
Trials[edit source | editbeta]
In May 2010, a Yemeni court sentenced six Somali pirates to death and jailed six others for 10 years each for hijacking a Yemeni oil tanker, killing one cabin crew member and leaving another missing in April 2009.[287] Dell Latitude E6400 XFR Battery
In May 2010, another Somali, Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, pleaded guilty in a New York federal court to seizing a United States-flagged ship Maersk Alabama and kidnapping its captain last year. He pled guilty, and was sentenced to 33 years imprisonment.[288] Dell Latitude E6410 ATG Battery
The first European trial of alleged Somali pirates opened in the Netherlands in May 2010. They were arrested in the Gulf of Aden in January 2009 when their high-speed boat was intercepted by a Danish frigate while allegedly preparing to board the cargo ship Samanyolu, which was registered in the Dutch Antilles.[289Sony SVS15 battery
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] The pirates were sentenced to five years in prison, which was less than the maximum possible sentence. It is unlikely the men will be returned to Somalia after their sentence, as Somalia is considered too dangerous for deportation. One of the five has already applied for asylum in the Netherlands. Consequently, Sony SVS13AA11M battery
Sony PCG-31112M battery there are concerns that trials in European courts would encourage, rather than deter, pirates.[290] However, trials are continuing in Europe. More recently in Paris, November 2011,[29Sony SVS131B12M battery
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Sony PCG-31111M battery1] five men were sentenced to between four and eight years; one man was acquitted. A trial also continues in Hamburg, Germany.[292] In Italy, nine Somali pirates had been tried an sentenced to prison terms of 16 and 19 years.[293Sony SVS151A12M battery
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Sony PCG-41218M battery] They had been found guilty of attempted kidnapping for extortion and illegal possession of firearms, in connection with the 10 October 2011 attack and highjack of an Italian-owned cargo vessel, the Montecristo.[294] Sony SVS1311P9EB battery
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On 1 April 2010, the USS Nicholas (FFG-47) was on patrol off the Somali coast when it took fire from men in a small skiff. After chasing down the skiff and its mothership, US military captured five Somalis.[29Sony SVS1511M3EW battery
Sony PCG-41217M battery5] Judge Raymond A. Jackson, a Federal District Court judge in Norfolk, Virginia threw out the piracy charge, which dates from enactment in 1819 when piracy was defined only as robbery at sea. The penalty for piracy is mandatory life in prison. The U.S. government appealed the ruling.[29Sony SVS1511N3ES battery
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Sony PCG-41216M battery6] In March 2011 the five Somalis were sentenced to life for piracy to run consecutively with the 80-year term.[297] In the same month 13 Somalis and one Yemeni suspected of hijacking and killing four Americans aboard a yacht made their first appearance in federal court in Norfolk.[298] Sony SVS1511V9EB battery
On 28 January 2011, pursuant to the naval engagement of the pirate mother vessel MV Prantalay (a hijacked Thai trawler) by the INS Cankarso, the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard killed 10 pirates and apprehended 15, Sony SVS1511V9ES battery
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Sony PCG-41212M battery while rescuing 20 Thai and Burmese fishermen that were held aboard the ship as hostages. The rescued fishermen were sent to Kochi while the 15 pirates, of Somali, Ethiopian and Kenyan origin, Sony VPCSA3Q9E battery
Sony PCG-4121GM batterywere taken to Mumbai. The Mumbai Police confirmed that they registered a case against the pirates for attempt to murder and various other provisions under the Indian Penal Code and the Passports Act for entering the Indian waters without permission.[79]
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In May 2012, a U.S. federal appeals court upheld the convictions of five pirate suspects, a decision which prosecutors described as the first United States-based piracy convictions in 190 years.[283]
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Proposed solutions[edit source | editbeta]
In November 2008, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, a group of ship-owners representing 75% of the world's independent tanker fleet, asked for United Nations intervention. Sony VPCSB4S9E battery
Sony PCG-41218M battery It called on the United Nations to co-ordinate anti-piracy patrols, and suggested the possibility of a naval blockade of Somalia and monitoring all vessels leaving the country's coastline. However, Sony VPCSE2F1E battery
Sony PCG-41213M battery NATO responded by saying that it would be impossible to effectively blockade Somalia's vast coast.[299] It also suggested that all home ports used by the pirates be blockaded, or that ground forces should be deployed to destroy pirate bases on land.[300] Sony VPCSE2V9E battery
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It has been suggested that land-based policies are the best way to combat piracy.[268][301] Governments would have to employ socioeconomic measures such as poverty alleviation and good governance in order to deal with piracy (and even terrorism) effectively. Sony PCG-4121DM battery
Sony PCG-4121EM battery In particular, a sustainable solution requires the establishment not only of effective governance but also the rule of law, reliable security agencies, and alternative employment opportunities for the Somali people.[302] This however, would suggest possible military intervention, a solution which there is opposition to since 1993's Operation Restore Hope.