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Last week, the U.N. Security Council voted in favor of a new measure that would allow the U.S. military to engage Somalian sea pirates.

But Somalia is not the only place with piracy outfits this organized. Somalia is a relative latecomer to contemporary sea piracy. Since 2000, southeast Asia has had the most dangerous waters in the world. Malaysia and the islands of the Indonesian archipelago have seen the lion's share of sea piracy since 2000. Also troubling: the waters off Nigeria and Iraq.

Unlike the pirates of yesteryear, contemporary sea piracy is frequently carried out by highly sophisticated criminal organizations made up of seasoned fighters and equipped with speedboats, satellite phones and global positioning systems. Recently captured Somali pirates claim they belonged to an organized militia that engaged in piracy to raise funds. Organizations have started attacking from more than one ship simultaneously using a number of quasi-military tactics.

Violence has become an endemic feature of privacy, particularly over the last five to 10 years. The birth of the illicit global arms trade that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 made it easier for many (who might feel less inclined to pursue piracy if they lacked guns) to become pirates, according to Chalk. The arms trade has made cheap and powerful weapons available in many parts of the world.

Five to six years ago, when pirates attacked, they used machetes, knives and pistols. "Today," says Noel Choong, the current director of the International Maritime Bureau's anti-piracy office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "They come equipped with AK-47s, M-16s, rifle grenades and [rocket-propelled grenades]."

This not only poses an enormous risk in terms of human security, but also endangers maritime security. Attacked ships can be left unmanned, turning into rogue vessels. "In many maritime chokepoints where attacks often occur, this creates a serious risk of a collision," says Chalk.

"The truth is that modern piracy ... is a violent, bloody, ruthless practice," said Captain Jayant Abhyankar, Deputy Director of the International Maritime Bureau at a conference in Singapore, "made the more fearsome by the knowledge on the part of the victims that they are on their own and absolutely defenseless and that no help is waiting just round the corner."

© 2008

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Member Comments

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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