Question re: Somali pirates

[PromoTheRobot]

It's been reported that guarding against pirate attcks along the coast of Somali is too difficult becuase there are so many ships and too much ocean to cover. But I have to assume while the area the pirates work in is vast, they only sail from a handful Somali ports. So my question is why can't those ports be blockaded to prevent pirate vessels from sailing?

 

Discuss.

 

PTR

[Steely Dan]

It's been reported that guarding against pirate attcks along the coast of Somali is too difficult becuase there are so many ships and too much ocean to cover. But I have to assume while the area the pirates work in is vast, they only sail from a handful Somali ports. So my question is why can't those ports be blockaded to prevent pirate vessels from sailing?

 

Discuss.

 

PTR

 

I believe they don't need a large port to sail from. I would think personal ports may suffice.

[Fezmid]

How do you know who's a pirate and who's not? It's not like the pirates have the jolly roger raised on their ships (or do they? )

[Steely Dan]

How do you know who's a pirate and who's not? It's not like the pirates have the jolly roger raised on their ships (or do they? )

 

You should have used this emoticon.

 

 

Idiot!!

[Marv's Neighbor]

2 Destroyers in a Convoy would likely work well. It worked in WWII.

[drinkTHEkoolaid]

2 Destroyers in a Convoy would likely work well. It worked in WWII.

the problem with that is there is no 1 specific shipping lane and boats are traveling on their own schedules from different origins to different destinations. i dont think that would logistically work out well

 

i can see the air force bringing in an ac-130 soon to operate out of east africa, possibly some predators/global hawks for real time intel, have the marines bring a counter-terrorism company or 2 on their amphibious assault ship and have the navy provide logistical support, infiltration/exfiltration and call it a day.

 

that would be a way to give the pirates a pretty bad day...... arrrgghh

[justnzane]

I believe they don't need a large port to sail from. I would think personal ports may suffice.

but for the large cargo they are jacking, they would need a larger port, would they not?

[NavyBillsFan]

They dont use "home ports" as base points. They use speed boats that dont need a pier. Most of them set up in random camps along the beach. But that is the small time guys. The top guns doing it run their camps in the city, well under cover with their other scams they run. Like the email 419 network. They just drag their boats up on the beach and cover them up or load them in trucks.

 

What they do is hijack a ship, move it and the crew off the coast and anchor it. There are ships there that have been in taken mode for months. That includes the crews also.

 

Its not just going on in the Somali waters, this is also going on in Iran, Pakistan, India too. They are not getting the media on it though and Iran keeps it quiet because its their own people doing it to their own ships.

 

Best way to handle the problem is to set a example. Just like the other day. Snipe the bastards out.

[MattyT]

I'm wondering if having the shipping companies hire Black Water type security companies to ride along with these ships would be more cost effective than paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom.

[GoodBye]

How do you know who's a pirate and who's not? It's not like the pirates have the jolly roger raised on their ships (or do they? )

Eye patches, peg legs and a parrot sitting on their shoulder are pretty good indications.

[Steely Dan]

Eye patches, peg legs and a parrot sitting on their shoulder are pretty good indications.

 

Ex-boyfriends?

 

Here's an article on what the Pentagon is thinking.

 

Pentagon planners are preparing a variety of options for dealing with Somali pirates, and a United Nations resolution gives them the authority to conduct operations inside Somalia.

 

"The ultimate solution for piracy is on land," said Vice Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the Combined Maritime Forces.

 

"Piracy around the world stems from activity where there is lawlessness, lack of governance, economic instability; things of that nature. And wherever you have that, you're going to have criminal activity at sea," he said at a Monday briefing.

[dib]

2 Destroyers in a Convoy would likely work well. It worked in WWII.

easier- armed guards on the transports.

couple of Ma-deuces and a couple of 40mm grenade launchers.

[DaGimp]

this is another area of the world that needs to be blown up

[ricojes]

It's been reported that guarding against pirate attcks along the coast of Somali is too difficult becuase there are so many ships and too much ocean to cover. But I have to assume while the area the pirates work in is vast, they only sail from a handful Somali ports. So my question is why can't those ports be blockaded to prevent pirate vessels from sailing?

 

Discuss.

 

PTR

If it were only that easy. The areas in question is off the coast of Solamia and Kenya which spans something like 1.1 million square miles. There just aren't enough resources currently available in that area to effectively thwart these attacks and there never will be. Also, it doesn't help when some gov't officials can be bribed. I read somewhere that pirate gangs have established relations with corrupt officials of some government officials along the coast. They bribe port officials to allow the pirates to use their ports, then they bring some of their captured ships in for safekeeping while the pirates negotiate ransoms with the ships' owners. Unfortunately the solution is not as easy as blocking ports. And I really don't believe it can be stopped, but hopefully there will be solutions to limit the activity.

[RayFinkle]

...So my question is why can't those ports be blockaded to prevent pirate vessels from sailing?

 

Discuss.

 

PTR

even if the solution was this simple, which it is not, who is going to pay the bill? US taxpayers?

[/dev/null]

but for the large cargo they are jacking, they would need a larger port, would they not?

 

Not too bright are you?

 

They don't hijack the ship to steal cargo. They hijack the ship to kidnap and ransom the crew

[nick in* england]

It's been reported that guarding against pirate attcks along the coast of Somali is too difficult becuase there are so many ships and too much ocean to cover. But I have to assume while the area the pirates work in is vast, they only sail from a handful Somali ports. So my question is why can't those ports be blockaded to prevent pirate vessels from sailing?

 

Discuss.

 

PTR

 

I actually know something about this. I work for the Ministry of Defence in the UK - I head up the Operations Desk in our Press Office. Piracy is one area that I deal with (in addition to British operations in Iraq and Afghanistan) on a daily basis. (If you are sceptical, you can check my credentials by googling Nick Manning MOD, and marvel at the results). Some of what I say below is a personal opinion, however, and is not an official MOD statement.

 

The simple answer to PTR's question is that foreign navies cannot enter Somali Territorial Waters - that is the belt of ocean 12 nautical miles wide from coastline to its edge. Therefore, a blockade is not possible.

 

The real answer is slightly more complex.

 

Piracy out of Somalia isn't happening in a small area of sea. It's happening in massive swathes of ocean from the relatively small Gulf of Aden, right out into the Indian Ocean. We are talking well in excess of a millions square miles of open ocean here. So even a massive deployment of Naval assets to the region can only monitor a limited amount of shipping activity in that region.

 

Pirates are not operating out of great wooden ships flying a jolly roger flag. They tend to operate out of Skiffs or Dhows, these are small fishing vessels capable of carrying 4-10 people and a small cargo of fish. These are the traditional fishing vessels of the region - operating out of Somalia and out of Yemen. Within the region, the majority of these small boats routinely go about their law abiding business doing fishing and so on as a matter of course. Don't forget also, that just because a fishing boat with a man holding an AK47 is not uncommon. AK's are status symbols in massive parts of the world - so it's not uncommon to see people with them who have not illegal intent. What's more these skiffs are tiny. Unless a warship is right on top of it, it's not going to be able to see it clearly. Even air assets (in shorts supply globally as they are being used to protect troops in Iraq and Afghanistan) have little hope of detecting piracy in these areas because the intelligence picture is so poor.

 

So it's not as simple as sinking every skiff or shooting every fisherman with an AK. And you can't arrest or detain every fisherman coming and going from ports in Somalia - where is the legal proof that they are a pirate? Unlike the pirates, most nations involved in combating piracy abide at a minimum to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) so flagrant breaches would amount to commanders of Navy ships being in very hot water.

 

Pirates tend to operate out of secret ports, or from flotillas at sea. They usually have a 'mothership'. This might normally be a pirated luxury yacht or leisure vessel that they can move about in quickly and with agility. This gives them the flexibility of moving around constantly and anchoring up wherever they like. It is on these vessels that they can store the pirate 'paraphernalia' like grappling hooks, rope ladders, RPGs, guns and ammo. So ports aren't completely necessary for these guys.

 

The truth of the matter is that despite lots of media attention on the antics of pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the problem is twofold.

 

First - the shipping companies ALWAYS pay a ransom - so from a pirates point of view this is good business. Millions and millions of dollars are paid every year to pirates by the shipping companies. This is because it's cheaper to pay ransoms that to pay for on-board security teams. Armed guards on vessels in the 'hot zone' would dramatically reduces the chances of attacks being successful.

 

Secondly - and this is the important one - this problem is not a sea problem. As odd as that sounds, the solution to piracy attacks will be on land. Somalia is in a desperate state right now, with no functioning government and poverty as bad as any place you care to mention. Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. You have civil war, tribal war lords, breakaway nations, everything you need to create a disaffected, rebellious and desperate society. Perfect for breeding criminals and destruction.

 

So there you have it, a rather longwinded explanation of some of the problems.

 

The US Fifth Fleet, British Royal Navy, EU Op ATALANTA, China, Australia, Combined Maritime Force, India, etc etc etc are all making a small difference and are helping essential shipping make safe passage through the region. Escorting World Food Programme vessels is a priority to ensure that aid reaches the right places at the right time. But as I say - this is not a problem that will be solved militarily at sea. It has to be a combination of diplomacy, nation-building, and sensible counter-measure by the shipping companies and individuals intent on moving thought the entire region.

 

Questions?

[Fezmid]

Questions?

 

I'm waiting for someone to say, "If we just blow up Somalia, then the problem goes away?"

 

Very good post though, thanks Nick!

[bills_fan]

Nick, thanks for a good explanation. How feasible is it for many of the ships to detour around Africa and avoid the area altogether?

[KD in CA]

Eye patches, peg legs and a parrot sitting on their shoulder are pretty good indications.

 

And they tend to root for Tampa Bay or Oakland.