SECURITY

Sea Pirates Bloody Growth

The rise of high crime on the high seas.

By William Pentland | Forbes.com

Jun 12, 2008 | Updated: 11:33 a.m. ET Jun 12, 2008

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On April 4, 2008, the luxury French yacht Le Ponant was crossing the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia when a swarm of speed boats surrounded the 32-cabin, three-masted vessel. A band of Somali pirates stormed the yacht, hijacking the vessel and taking all 30 of its crewmembers hostage.

A week of intense negotiations followed, ending with the release of the hostages to French military officials on April 11 in exchange for an undisclosed ransom. Shortly after the exchange, a team of French commandos tracked the pirates to a remote location in the Puntland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia. The commandos overtook them on an open stretch of desert road, attacking from helicopters and capturing six of them.

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Somalia is only the latest hot spot in a worldwide renaissance of sea piracy that began a decade ago. The growth of global commerce in the past two decades crowded the oceans with cargo vessels, dry-bulk carriers and supertankers loaded with every good imaginable. The world currently transports 80% of all international freight by sea. More than 10 million cargo containers are moving across the world's oceans at any one time.

The heavy ocean traffic (and its cargo) spawned a surge in sea piracy and a new breed of pirates, the bloodiest the world has seen. More than 2,400 acts of piracy were reported around the world between 2000 and 2006, roughly twice the number reported for the preceding six-year period. Although pirate attacks have at least tripled during that time period, the actual number of attacks remains unclear. Shipping companies frequently do not report attacks out of concern that it could increase insurance premiums.

And nearly every group of government monitoring sea piracy believes that number is seriously undercounted. The Australian government estimates the actual number of piracy attacks is 2,000% higher. Piracy is estimated to cost between $13 and $16 billion every year and could cost substantially more in coming years.

"Piracy is not going away," says Peter Chalk, an international security analyst at the RAND Institute. "In fact, its getting more serious and more violent, and its only a matter of time before you need to take it more seriously."

That's starting to happen. The potential of a disastrous environmental spill resulting from an attack finally forced the international community to clamp down on sea piracy. International law allows any government vessel to repress an act of piracy in international waters. On October 30, 2007, two American destroyers, the USS Porter and the USS Arleigh Burke, attacked and sank two Somali pirate vessels after the pirates captured the Japanese tanker, Golden Mori.

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Posted By: sschenckny @ 12/07/2008 5:52:09 AM

The U.S. Navy could blockade the Somolian coast, but the US taxpayer should not be expected to foot the bill. The costs should be covered by the ships needing the protection. I believe It would be more cost effective for the shipping companies to pay a protection surcharge, than to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
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Posted By: dennibrink @ 11/20/2008 5:17:15 PM

The merchant shipping industry needs to take the subject of piracy more seriously. One can only conclude that the price of ransoms is cheaper t han self-defense.

The pirates are operating at great distances from land, far out in the sea. They are relying on mother ships for logistic support. The motherships need to be attacked and siezed.

The merchant ships need to be redesigned. The crew, engineering, and bridge spaces need to be impenetrable. The pirates made gain entry to the ship, but if they can not gain control of the ship and its crew their efforts are wasted.

Air surveillance is the only way to patrol the vastness of the ocean against sea piracy. Amphibous aircraft carriers with attack helicopters patrolling the sea lanes is the best military tactic to employ.

Merchant shippers should pay a NATO security tax. Only by taking the fight to the pirates, merchants improving their defenses, and the implementation of maritime air patrols can piracy be stopped.
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Posted By: bcdkimble @ 06/21/2008 7:19:01 PM

IMHO these merchant ships should be armed to the teeth. Once a pirate vessel shows their true intentions, blast them out of the water. Shoot to kill. Take absolutely no prisoners. It is time to make these sleazebags fish bait. Why should innocent people doing their job become victims?Send these deadbeats to meet their maker. Once we make known how many pirate vessels are sent to the bottom, some of these pirates will think twice. The wise ones will start smuggling drugs. The stupid ones will die.