When Private Interests Combat Piracy
From ThreatsWatch RapidRecon...
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Into this breach leaps American entrepreneurship and straightforward seizing the opportunity.
A Texas based private security firm is now engaged in providing armed security escorts to deal with “open water threats and provide an electronic command center for threat detection and response, leveraging their teams between many vessels across the region.” While the mission was made public a week ago, there is no current indication of deployment or any engagement with pirates.
However, while the United Nations, NATO and the affected nations and shipping lines await decisions to be made, a private company has taken the initiative. Rash actions? It’s hard to tell. Effective actions? We may never know.
New Counter-Piracy Task Force Established
Commander, Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs
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MANAMA, Bahrain – The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) has established Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) specifically for counter-piracy operations.
The establishment of CTF-151 will allow CTF-150 assets to remain focused on those activities, giving CTF-151 the ability to focus solely on the counter-piracy mission.
“Some navies in our coalition did not have the authority to conduct counter-piracy missions,” said Vice Adm, Bill Gortney, CMF Commander. “The establishment of CTF-151 will allow those nations to operate under the auspices of CTF-150, while allowing other nations to join CTF-151 to support our goal of deterring, disrupting and eventually bringing to justice the maritime criminals involved in piracy events.”
Pirate 'washes ashore with cash'
Now this is too rich. When news of this hits the general public, the beaches will indeed be a sight to see ;)
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The body of a
Somali pirate who reportedly drowned soon after receiving a huge ransom has washed ashore with $153,000 in cash, his uncle says.
A relative of the drowned pirate told the BBC the family was now trying to dry out the recovered money.
The pirates' boat capsized when they were hit by rough seas as they were heading back to their homes in central Somalia, the leader of the pirates told AFP.
Not their job, is it? Seems to me if they wanted
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Originally Posted by
120mm
Multiple levels of my consciousness is disgusted that ship's captains are not prepared to defend themselves with 3 inch guns and .50 cals. This "be nice to pirates" game will end in tears, vis-a-vis free passage of the seas, if it keeps up.
to do that, they'd be Navy Officers instead of Merchant officers.
Boils down to dollars; cheaper for ship owners to pay the ransoms than to arm the ships, pay fighting wages to the crews, pay to train the crews -- and take a chance on losing a multi million dollar cargo due to a lucky RPG hit.
Kenyan Government Agrees to Try Pirates Seized by U.S. Forces
DoD News release "adds to the weapons to combat piracy"
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2009 – The Kenyan government has agreed to try pirates captured by the U.S. military, a senior Defense Department official said here today.
The agreement came about earlier this month through a memorandum of understanding signed by U.S. State Department and Kenyan government officials, spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters. Britain also has a similar agreement with Kenya.
I wonder what force this has in international law if the pirates are captured outside Kenyan territorial waters and/or are preying on ships with other than Kenyan registry and have no passengers/crews that are Kenyan citizens? More fun for international legal beagles to be sure.
Pirates to have day in court?
I know Somali pirates aren't quite the same thing as the Taliban, although I did recently hear the whole to-do with them being compared to an insurgency. Any-hoo, up until now, the big problem has been that the law was unclear on how to prosecute them, and that was at least part of what prevented the gaggle of ships cruising off the coast of Somalia from becoming more "proactive", shall we say, against the pirates. But there may be some progress in that direction. The U.S. and Kenya just signed off on an agreement that will have the Kenyans prosecuting the pirates in their courts. This may be good news. Hopefully.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsM...50S4ZZ20090129
Haven't read it yet, but....
The Pirate Latitudes, by William Langewiesche. Vanity Fair, April 2009.
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When the French luxury cruise ship Le Ponant was captured by a raggedy, hopped-up band of Somali pirates last spring, in the Gulf of Aden, it looked as if the bandits had bitten off more than they could chew. But after a week-long standoff, they got what they had come for—a $2.15 million ransom. Describing the terrifying attack, the ordeal of the ship’s epicurean crew, and the tense negotiations, the author examines the ruthless calculus behind a new age of piracy.
Haven't read it yet, but the author is excellent, and is a knowledgeable source on the subject having covered piracy and shipping in his book The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime.
I Tend to Like the Russian Polls at this point
Stumbled across these poll results at Russia's Rian yesterday :D
What’s the best way to tackle the Somali pirates?
Carry out precision strikes on their bases ( 159 / 39.4% )
More at the link...
Prosecuting captured pirate
Longtime listener, first time caller here…
I would think that the pirate in this particular instance could be tried in the US since he attacked a US registered vessel, operated by US citizens. The statutes below clearly describe his actions and the nexus to the US is indisputable. So all they have to do is get home-skillet into the country. Hmmm sounds too easy…
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PART I—CRIMES, CHAPTER 81--PIRACY AND PRIVATEERING
Sec. 1651. Piracy under law of nations
Whoever, on the high seas, commits the crime of piracy as defined by the law of nations, and is afterwards brought into or found in the United States, shall be imprisoned for life.
Sec. 1653. Aliens as pirates
Whoever, being a citizen or subject of any foreign state, is found and taken on the sea making war upon the United States, or cruising against the vessels and property thereof, or of the citizens of the same, contrary to the provisions of any treaty existing between the United States and the state of which the offender is a citizen or subject, when by such treaty such acts are declared to be piracy, is a pirate, and shall be imprisoned for life.
I could be wrong but (my spidey sense tells me) the article posted by davidbfpo might be concerned with the Brits arresting Somali pirates that seize non-British ships with non-British crews in international/non-British territorial waters. Equally confusing is the January 16, 2009 bilateral agreement, which supposedly allows for piracy suspects detained by US forces to be tried in Kenya (article linked by another user earlier in this thread). Where does Kenya get the authority to prosecute Somali pirates?
Also, the Navy’s plan to start conducting vessel inspections for “pirate paraphernalia” off the Somali coast is a bit troubling. I hope we don’t start hearing about watercraft borne IED’s, especially in light of the fact that Al-Shabab is claiming they launched a mortar attack on Congressman Payne’s aircraft.
I’d like to express my appreciation for everyone on this board who who’s been kind enough to share their knowledge and time.
I for one largely agree but as for the
WH spin, that's to be expected. Politicians will claim credit for things that go right and back off if they go wrong; way of the beast -- both parties, ideology irrelevant, unfortunately...
I note Newt Gingrich and some others lambasted Obama for doing nothing then, when the WH started crowing, pointed out the same things you cite. I'm pretty sure that had things gone wrong there'd have been a lot of finger pointing and the WH spin would've been "Yes, they had authorization -- but they overstepped" or such like. Maybe not but I'm old and cynical...
Shouldn't be that way but it is.
Captains of naval vessels have far more authority and freedom of action than do Army, Marine or Air Force Colonels -- nature of that beast as well.
My guess is that 'gun in his back' may or may not be true but either way was played up in an attempt to make the Pirates the bad guys (Clue -- they already were that...:rolleyes: ). Either way, the boys done good. It'll complicate things there but something similar was going to happen sooner or later in any event.
Now, as long as we don't get dumb...
Will Kenya be tapped as the next ‘Hague’ of the high seas?
A good article from the Christian Science Monitor shedding a bit more on Kenya and covering some legal history.
Sticky legal battles await for captured Somali pirates
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Yet it is not clear – and now with Somali pirate lords talking about retaliation – that Kenya is entirely keen to be the world's judicial dumping ground for marauders of the high seas. Nor is it clear that Kenya's fragile politics can support a potentially controversial initiative on piracy, or that its troubled judicial system can deliver the quality of justice that many European nations, such as Germany, say they require in turning over the accused.
"We should think of Kenya's hospitality as a very short term thing. They don't really want and don't need this right now," says an American international lawyer who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect colleagues in Somalia. "Kenya isn't The Hague, where combatants live far away. The truth is we are unprepared for this. There isn't a Kyoto protocol for piracy, there's no clear international practice."
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"You don't hear about it, but a lot of pirates are just put on shore," says Mr. Middleton. "The EU mission is to 'dissuade and disrupt,' only. It's fairly selective when pirates are turned over. That only happens when the evidence against them is very good."
... the UN Law of the Sea Treaty, which governs piracy, is not ambiguous. It states that outside a 12-mile limit, piracy is a crime that can be prosecuted anywhere in the world under the concept of "universal jurisdiction." Piracy itself in the 18th century brought the first codification of such universal laws.
Inside the 12-mile limit – one reason pirates quickly tow ships close to shore – the crime is considered "armed robbery." But the 12-mile limit, and a further 300-mile economic zone off shore, makes for a set of practical complications for the dozen navies actively patrolling a 2,500 mile coast. EU nations are obliged to apply a high level of human rights standards, which, unlike the US Navy, even disallows fingerprinting of pirates.
US unveils plan to tackle piracy
Here is the text from BBC, starting below.
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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has unveiled a four-point plan to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
She said an expanded international effort was needed, as well as freezing pirates' assets, and plugging gaps in the shipping industry's own defences.
Improving the situation in Somalia itself was also key, she said.
Surviving pirate wins a vacation in the Big Apple
I couldn't find a link to an indictment (which may well be still sealed), but here is the gist of the story by AP:
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Friday, 17 April 2009 10:20 AM
Somali pirate to face charges in New York: report
Australian Associated Press
A teenage pirate captured by US Navy forces during a high-seas hostage drama last week will face charges in a New York court, CBS News reported on Thursday.
The pirate was identified as 19-year-old Abdulwali Muse, believed to be the ringleader of four Somali hijackers who attacked the US-flagged Maersk Alabama cargo ship on April 8 and took its captain hostage for five days, the television network said.
Muse was set to face charges in New York's Southern District Court.
The US federal court has reviewed major terror cases in the United States, among them the convictions of Ramzi Yousef, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings
More on Fox:
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Captured Somali Pirate to Be Tried in New York
Thursday, April 16, 2009
.....
A Department of Justice official said that timing is unknown on when the suspect will be brought to the U.S. District Court in New York, and no announcements are expected tomorrow.
The pirate is "still in the middle of the Indian Ocean somewhere," one official told FOX News.
An official told FOX News that documents have already been filed and are awaiting his arrival in New York.
The Fed SDNY (SD = Southern District, which is Manhattan) is the primary US venue for Admiralty Law. So, the choice of venue is logical - and centuries old.
Boy - are you guys tough on Hill and Bill ! ;)
I got a laugh out of this article
LINK.
Well of course they are. Given the fact that they're getting some arming and organizing help from a number of sources -- not least almost certainly the two nations who have sent veritable little Task Forces to 'assist' in the patrol by NATO navies and Operation Atalanta -- and who must of course land 'Liaison Officers' to coordinate with local governments...
Yes, I'm sure they are getting more skilled and organized, a little training will do that...
Piracy: The Military Options ...
linked by Ub - and which I just got around to reading - is a good article for we civilian types to read. Surprised it was floated in the Nation, which is scarcely non-partisan.
From Ken's link,
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The foreign anti-piracy patrols were merely "scratching the surface" and the only real solution was for proper security on the lawless Somali mainland.
I wonder what measures the admiral suggests to implement "proper security" on the mainland.
Pirate mother's Obama mercy plea
Jeez, underage pirates being incarcerated :rolleyes:
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Adar Abdurahman Hassan told the BBC her son, Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse, was innocent and just 16 years old.
He was held over the seizure off Somalia of Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship.
While her son was allegedly negotiating on a US warship, naval snipers shot dead three pirates holding the captain.
The mother of the teenager, who is facing trial in New York, said she wanted to be present in court if the case goes ahead.
Pirate Muse to be tried as an adult ...
The old law books were dusted off in the first round of US vs Muse.
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Somali pirate to be tried as adult in New York
A Somali teenager was charged as an adult in a New York court on Tuesday in what is believed to be the first piracy case in America in more than a century.
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 11:20PM BST 21 Apr 2009
Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, who is thought to be 18, is also facing hostage-taking charges over the seizure of the captain of an American cargo ship earlier this month. He faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of piracy. ...
....
His parents have appealed to President Barack Obama for his release, saying that he comes from a penniless family and was coaxed into piracy by "gangsters" promising him money.
Adar Abdirahman Hassan, his mother, said she cried when she saw a picture of him arriving in New York in chains.
"The last time I saw him he was in his school uniform," she said. "He was brainwashed. People who are older than him outwitted him, people who are older than him duped him."
She said her son was "wise beyond his years" and got lost in books as a child rather than misbehaving.
And some more background from Somalia:
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Mystery surrounds Somali pirate's personal life
By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN and MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED Mohamed Olad Hassan And Malkhadir M. Muhumed – Tue Apr 21, 5:46 pm ET
MOGADISHU, Somalia – At home in central Somalia, Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse studied English, frequented a dusty, outdoor cinema after school where he watched Bollywood films dubbed into his native Somali and, his mother says, "was wise beyond his years."
....
Karen Greenberg, executive director of the Center on Law and Security at New York University's Law School, said that the case could bring the U.S. under international criticism.
"If he is a juvenile and he is tried as an adult and given life imprisonment, it will not help the reputation we are trying hard to reform," she said. "International law is more lenient when it comes to juveniles and we already take criticism."
Another invocation of the "my poor child; the devil made him do it" defense - and invocation of international law in a case brought under a domestic (US) statute or statutes. I find this annoying - must be in an old and cranky mood.