Somalian piracy

The pirates of Somalia, who operate primarily in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea, the Malacca Straits and the Indian Ocean, are getting bolder and more brazen.

Emboldened by the absence of an effective ruling authority, piracy has become a highly-organized criminal business. Many of the pirates are former clan fighters who have discovered a far more lucrative form of armed capitalism.

At the weekend, delegates at a conference on 'Global Maritime Security & Anti-Piracy,' the first to be held in India, called for close cooperation between like-minded nations to eliminate piracy at its root.　

The conference took place in the coastal state of Gujarat, which contributes 25 percent of India's maritime trade that makes up 1.5 percent of the global total.

Massive economic disruption

Since 90 percent of global trade is carried by sea, piracy that occurs in vulnerable sea lanes of strategic importance, is a severed cause of economic disruption.

It can also be an environmental hazard because ships might be damaged or purposely run aground, said Jaanus Rahumagi, who runs a security agency in Estonia that equips commercial vessels with weapons. "Innocent mariners from countries around the world have been endangered," he also pointed out.

Over 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil supply that passes through the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea is at risk from Somali pirates.

According to Rahmumagi and other delegates, the problem has worsened considerably in recent years. There have been some 400 attacks worldwide and 40 commercial vessels have been hijacked. Currently 11 vessels and almost 200 hostages are being held by pirates, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Last year, ransoms paid climbed to 238 million US dollars (an average of 5.4 million per ship) compared with 150,000 in 2005.

A recent study conducted by the One Earth Future Foundation estimated the total annual cost of maritime hijackings to be somewhere between seven and 12 billion US dollars.

Difficult to coordinate regional response

The 500-mile long Malacca Strait, which is the world’s longest strait and the main seaway connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, is particularly vulnerable to pirate attacks. Some 600 vessels transit the strait every day and are often attacked. However, the lack of security organizations makes it difficult to introduce effective anti-piracy measures.

"Establishing a regional response to piracy will not be easy. ASEAN and its security arm, the ASEAN Regional Forum, continue to struggle with questions of legal jurisdiction, internal and economic stability and regional balance of power," said maritime lawyer Deepankar Sharma.

Justiice Duncan Gaswaga from the Seychelles said there had to be effective deterrence measures: "Pirates who are captured must be prosecuted. The issue of jurisdiction to try pirates assumes importance."

Not all the delegates were pessimistic about the future. Ebyan Mohamed Salah, Somalia’s ambassador to India, claimed the world would be free of Somali pirates by the middle of next year because her government had prepared a master plan to disarm the "sea gangs."

Author: Murali Krishnan
Editor: Anne Thomas