More Piracy Near Somalia

[JMA]

Things just got tougher for land based pirates

Not so fast Stan...

The following two quotes indicate that this is more likely just more talk about getting tough than actually doing so.

In a two-year extension of its mission, EU defence ministers agreed warships could target boats and fuel dumps.

...

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told reporters: "The EU plan is to allow attacks on land installations when ships are assaulted at sea," adding that "much care" would be taken to avoid civilian deaths.

I suggest what this indicates is that the political idiots know what needs to be done but don't have the balls to let the EU navies in the area loose to do the business.

It should be noted too that apart from the Brit and French navies the remainder of the EU navies can be considered 'timid' and should be released to go home (after being thanked for the efforts to date of course ).

[davidbfpo]

I attended an academic conference this week in London and one panel looked at various aspects of Somali piracy. One speaker, Jatin Dua, made an impact:

Jatin Dua is a PhD candidate in the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Duke University. His dissertation focuses on maritime piracy and attempts to regulate the Western Indian Ocean by private actors, nation-states, and international bodies in a moment of post-Cold War, post-9/11 reconfiguration. He has conducted over eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork with pirates, fishermen, merchants, seafarers, judges, lawyers, and others implicated in the world of piracy and counter-piracy in Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and the United Kingdom.

Jatin made a number of points, although I follow the issue, the following were new to me:

1. There is a long history of oceanic exchange between Somalia (as part of East Africa), Kenya, Sharjah (UAE) and Gujerat, an Indian coastal state. Traditionally and still today this is largely by dhow. The dhows use offshore refuelling by Iranian merchants. There is a licensing system in place for the dhows, which removes them as a target for pirates
2. There is a pattern of human smuggling from Ethiopia's Ogaden Province (which historically has a cross-border Somali community) to the Gulf and Yemen.
3. Livestock are traded from Somaliland to Saudi Arabia, so when the Saudis impose and recently have lifted restrictions this has an impact.
4. Both Somaliland, Puntland he knew and by anecdote Somalia have a superb mobile phone network and within minutes it is possible to move cash from the USA to Somaliland - based on a trust network, similar to Hawala banking; see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawala
5. There can be movement from Al-Shabaab to piracy, one former fighter stated:

Tired of war and I was asked do you want to make money now?

For those who wish to read more here is one of his articles:http://www.ssrc.org/pages/Piracy-and...om-Somaliland/

[davidbfpo]

An attack in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran is well different:

The 28-strong crew of a Chinese cargo ship seized by pirates in the Gulf of Oman off Iran's coast have been rescued... The vessel was attacked by Somali pirates on Friday morning near the Iranian port of Chabahar......China immediately asked Iran to take the necessary steps to rescue the crew....

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17636649

One wonders whether the pirates will face justice in China or Iran? Assuming of course that is the route followed.

Both national navies participate in anti-piracy patrolling - in co-ordination with the multi-national flotillas.

[davidbfpo]

A rather short film clip from a BBC TV travel documentary, where the reporter visits a jail in Somaliland:

Very few of the Somali-based pirates who plague the Indian Ocean have been brought to justice, partly as a result of the lack of government in Somalia. But several are being held at Hargeisa prison in Somaliland - an internationally unrecognised state which broke away from Somalia in 1991.

One Somali pirate serving six years in prison told the BBC's Simon Reeve that he thought the piracy was justified even though it has become a multi-million dollar criminal industry and there have been cases of hostages and ship's crew being killed.

At least it is a first-hand explanation:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17914920

[davidbfpo]

In March 2012 the EU announced it would take action on Somali territory and the BBC reports this happened last night:

EU naval forces have conducted their first raid on pirate bases on the Somali mainland, saying they have destroyed several boats. The EU forces were transported by helicopter to the pirate bases near the port of Haradhere.

The BBC's Security Correspondent, Frank Gardiner wrote:

Naval officers say there were no casualties on either side but if raids like this are repeated - as they probably will be - the pirates are likely to adapt their operations making it harder for their equipment to be destroyed without also hitting local Somalis.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18069685

Note later verbally Frank Gardiner added the five skiffs were machine gunned by helicopters.

Personally I think this verges on theatre. The BBC report cites the pirates:

They are believed to be holding about 17 ships and 300 crew.

and not to overlook:

the Greek-owned oil tanker Smyrni which was hijacked in the Arabian Sea last week. The Liberian-flagged tanker carrying 135,000 tonnes of oil is reported to be heading for Somalia.

So we really do care about the kidnapped crew? No, we do't and I expect largely as they are not EU nationals.

Then there is the well documented, sorry reported lack of capability and will to act against captured pirates - the 'catch & release' policy. Which IIRC was last reported by a Danish warship, that held their prisoners for thirty days and then let them go.

If the Greek tanker reaches Somalia one wonders how the EU "spin" doctors will translate this statement to explain:

The focused, precise and proportionate action was conducted from the air and all forces returned safely to EU warships on completion.

[tequila]

Piracy around Horn of Africa has plunged, U.S. says

WASHINGTON — Acts of piracy in the treacherous waters around the Horn of Africa have fallen sharply in 2012, according to statistics released by the United States Navy. The Navy credits aggressive patrolling by international forces and increased vigilance by the commercial shipping industry for the decrease.

Data released by the Navy last week showed 46 pirate attacks in the area this year, compared with 222 in all of last year and 239 in 2010. Nine of the piracy attempts this year have been successful, according to the data, compared with 34 successful attacks in all of 2011 and 68 in 2010.

Even so, senior Navy officers have been careful not to declare victory.
“The pirates are very adaptable, and they are very flexible,” said Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, the Navy’s deputy chief for operations, plans and strategy. “We are watching carefully ...”

[davidbfpo]

I have previously cited the IMB's statistics and their latest figures for 2012, a week old are:

Incidents Reported for Somalia:
Total Incidents: 70
Total Hijackings:13
Total Hostages: 212

Current vessels held by Somali pirates:
Vessels: 11 Hostages: 188.

Link:http://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-report...cynewsafigures

This was the situation last year:

According to 18 August 2011 data presented by ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, piracy in Somalia this year has led to 178 incidents, 22 hijackings, 362 hostages, and 7 deaths. IMB further found that pirates are currently holding 19 vessels and 377 crew members.

There are some differences from the USN figures, although there is a decline in attacks and thankfully a drop in the hostages held - whom officialdom appear to view with Admiral Nelson's blind eye.