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AP Continues to drool over "brazen" Pirates
By Charlie
I had to create a new category to highlight press reports talking up the barbarian, terrorist, pirates that are plaguing shipping lanes. Here is the latest:
Somali pirates transform villages into boomtowns
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women — even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.
Piracy: The American/Somali Dream. Huge houses, pimped rides, gorgeous women: these await you if you join the Somali pirate brigands today!
There is a way to stop piracy, and it quickly came to light early on in our nation's history when we were first challenged with the threat of piracy off of Africa's coast. Stephen Decatur, the Naval Jack Bauer of the early 1800's, would likely have a simple answer to piracy: force. But, unfortunately nowadays "Rules frustrate anti-piracy efforts" according to the BBC>
The problem these days, however, is that the operation is hemmed in by rules and regulations.
In 1815 the American Cmdr Stephen Decatur, sent to stop the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean, simply captured the flagship of the Algerian Dey and forced a capitulation. When the Dey later repudiated the agreement, the British and Dutch bombarded Algiers.These days, there is no question of a bombardment of the port of Eyl, the main pirate base on the Somali coast. That might be the most effective response but it would require a UN Security Council resolution.
Heavens! Bomb Somalia? That's probably never happened... More:
There has also been a legal opinion by the Foreign Office in London that captured pirates cannot necessarily be sent back to whatever authorities can be found in Somalia, in case they are subject to harsh treatment. That would contravene the British Human Rights Act. The pirates captured in the Royal Navy action have now been handed over not to Somalia, but Kenya.The Law of the Sea Convention places limitations on daring action. Under Article 100 of the convention a warship has first to send an officer-led party to board a suspected pirate ship to verify any suspicions.
The warship cannot just open fire. Any inspection has to be carried out "with all possible consideration". That sounds rather tentative.
"The authorities these days have a real problem because of international law. There are measures ship owners can take like having fire hoses to aim at the pirates, acoustic devices to hurt their hearing or electric fences but, as in the days of the Caribbean pirates, everything is on the pirates' side.
"Modern pirates use very similar methods to the old. They shadow and then board their victims. They usually outnumber the small crew on board the ship.
Here's a shot in the dark, but instead of fire hoses, how about automatic weapons. Its a big ocean, and no one is likely to miss a pirate crew if the suddenly "disappear" after attempting to board an up-armed merchant vessel...
A slightly more objective FOX news article gives us a rundown of the top 10 recent successes by the pirates (below the fold).
1. Sirius Star
Hijacked November 17
Cargo: 2 million barrels of oil, valued at $100 million
Crew: 25 men
2. MV Karagol
Hijacked November 12
Cargo: 4,000 tons of chemicals
Crew: 14 Turks
3. MV Stolt Strength
Hijacked November 10
Cargo: Phosphoric acid
Crew: 23 Filipinos
4. CEC Future
Hijacked November 7
Cargo: Unknown
Crew: 11 Russians, one Georgian, one Lithuanian
5. MV Yasa Neslihan
Hijacked October 29
Cargo: Iron ore
Crew: 20 Turks
6. MT African Sanderling
Hijacked October 15
Cargo: Unknown
Crew: 21 Filipinos
7. MV Faina
Hijacked September 25
Cargo: 33 T-72 Russian battle tanks
Crew: 17 Ukrainians, 2 Latvians, one Russian
8. MV Captain Stefanos
Hijacked September 21
Cargo: Unknown
Crew: 17 Filipinos, two other nationals
9. Centauri
Hijacked September 18
Cargo: 17,000 tons of salt
Crew: 25 Filipinos
10. MV Great Creation
Hijacked September 17
Cargo: Chemical fertilizer
Crew: 24 Chinese, one Sri Lankan
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Comments
Given the large amounts of money to be made at piracy, and the rather desperate living conditions applying in Somalia, is it really realistic to believe that this problem can be settled by force?
We could send plush unicorns and kumbaya CDs, and conquer those pirates with love and cuteness...
OH COME ON! "all possible consideration"?
How modern world has become a world of sissies.
Steve,
What's the other option? Setting up a jobs program in Somalia?
What makes people stop wanting to become a pirate is the death of a those who went before.
The Royal Navy had the right idea 200 years ago. You find the pirate, you capture the pirate, you hang the pirate then place the dead, hanging body at the entrance of the local harbor.
That works. (The Indian Navy's response the other day was also quite effective. Does anyone know if this is the first time the Indian Navy has conducted a surface action?)
Doug
The Indian navy has been blooded before;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trident_(Indo-Pakistani_War)
Blackdog
A platoon of Marines? Dog short the one report about the Ukrainian ship that was overran by 50 pirates all the reports I have seen are about small groups in flimsly 18-25' skiffs working from motherships/fishing boats. The pirates heavy weapons is nothing but RPG's & maybe a PK.
Small 5-10 man security outfits on these cargo ships would be plenty to repel these pirates. The fact that every port I have ever been to in the US has armed security patrolling but shipping companies cannot afford to pick up a security detail in the Suez and then drop them off to a runabout for S Saudi Arabia and vice versa is just idiotic.
Until someones balls drop and those pirate ships start coming home short crew and listing this will only get worse and spread.
C-Low. Q-Ships in WW-I/II are naval (RN mostly) warships that are modified merchants capable of taking out German U-Boats.
The New York Post ran an article (saw it on marines.mil) recommending sending a MEB to destroy the pirates' villages. I'm sure that would go real well with the media until the first "poor, defenseless woman and her infant" got pushed by a pirate into the line of fire and we get blamed.
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What about outfitting a couple of Q-ships? Give them some Bofors or Goalkeepers and a platoon of Marines. They attempt to to board, you have proof. Then you blow them out of the water.