Piracy: No ho, ho, ho here, only agony

Source: Khaleej times

7 April 2010

The attempt at thwarting the Somalia-based freelance pirates from hijacking vessels on the high seas has not been very successful.

The poignant gratitude of the released crew of a UAE-bound dhow two days ago underscores the helplessness of the men who go to sea against this menace. The gangs have an eclectic approach to their victims and all vessels ranging from supertankers to dhows are legitimate prey. And prey on them is what they do. So, now that the Combined Task Force 150, a multinational defence group has clearly shown that patrolling the oceans is well nigh impossible is it necessary to take technology a step further?

The answer would have to in the affirmative. While there is some global resistance to deploying armed troops on seagoing merchant mariners because that would jeopardise civilian lives in case of combat (as compared to submission and hope of rescue) the consensus on something drastic having to be done seems to be a given. The piracy is only getting worse and in the past year has escalated. The pirates are not the least bit fazed by the presence of navies and their awesome firepower. Their stealth, their knowledge of the waters and their ability to hang in there till the ransom is paid indicates a very clever and sophisticated operational system is in place. These are not your rag-tag and bobtail Jolly Rogers taking a potshot at a passing boat in the hope of finding some gold coins.

This is more in keeping with proper intelligence, awareness of the target movements and constantly finding the soft underbelly of the marked ship.

There has to be cooperation and coordination between governments, ship owners and the naval forces of concerned governments either flying under the fiat of the UN or NATO and given the power to strike at the very heart of the pirates’ citadel. It is not going to be easy because the fear of reprisals against captured crew and others is always a deterrent to an open war.

With so many lives and commercial property being endangered, it is necessary to involve the Somalian authorities – however weak and vulnerable—and make them culpable to at least a certain extent. Going the logical step further the combined task force should follow the money trail. Where is the finance coming from to fuel this ongoing attrition and where are the profits going? Therein will lie the solution and the beginning of the end of
this problem