This is more of a random musing, and just trying to think of something that could end this. I really don't have a solution. First of all I think that the problem of piracy is one that the shipping companies have really brought upon themselves. They have been very consistent in terms of paying ransom's to get crews and ships back. As a result of this piracy has become a pretty low risk high reward business for people in certain locatations. First of all I hope that is changing. The pirates who thought they had gotten away with hijacking the Saudi Oil tanker earlier this year had about 10 minutes to chear before they had a meeting with Allah. The French took care of business a few days ago, and now we did as well. So, in this regard hopefully they pirates will start to see that this is not as risk free as it used to be. However, if there is the financial motive your always going to have people willing to do it, even at the risk of their lives, and the amounts are huge. Even people in a relatively wealthy place like the United States are willing to risk life and limb for a certain price, my brother for example having just signed a contract with an International Oil Company to provide security in Iraq for 300K per year (He figured why not, I've been doing the same thing in the Army for years for a hell of a lot less). Anyway, the amounts are massive to these people who would be otherwise starving, the financial motive must be removed. Since it's been established that many of these pirate gangs have links to terrorists, could a case not be made that any company paying off the pirates is giving money to a terrorist organization, and there for be tried for doing so? I realize this is a rather harsh course of action, but I suspect it might work. Does anyone else have any thoughts? I'm hoping this does not turn into a typical Politics and Religion shit throwing contest because I think a solution can be found, but I have no idea what it is. If anyone has other ideas, or thinks mine is a pretty damn good one, I'd like to hear from you. Brandon
I'm sure most think of the "golden age" of piracy when we think of pirates but maritime piracy has been around as long as man has been sailing the seas. Seems like I read some time ago that many commercial ships were reluctant to spend the money and or effort to protect themselves. Also in some instances outside of international waters there are sometimes laws making it difficult or impossible to be armed for protection. If I'm not mistaken the age of piracy that most of us think of essentially ended when the US and the major European maritime nations got tired of putting up with it. They simply made it a priority to hunt down pirates. Many of whom were either imprisoned or hanged. There was an incident near the Chinese coast just a few years ago involving a Chinese customs official giving cargo information to pirates. Eventually the official and his cohorts were captured, tried and summarily executed. Piracy in that region stopped overnight. Piracy, like many of our current problems, could be solved but the powers that be must be willing first.
That was a good ending for a potentially tragic situation, thanks to the US Navy SEALS, but this will not deter most of the Somalian pirates...for long. The smart ones will avoid most US ships and may even halt attacks for a year or so...until the issue of piracy fades from global public attention. After a year or so of no attacks or just a very few isolated incidents, most of the navies patrolling will get called back to Europe or wherever and the shipping companies will scale back on their blackwater security contracts. There seems to be no real political will to go and attack the pirates at their bases in Somalia...as everyone is afraid of another "BlackHawk Down" scenario. Without the will to go kill or capture these pirates at their land bases the problem will not be truly resolved. The Commandant of the Coast Guard was on a sunday talk show on ABC, and when he was asked about arming the crews of these merchant vessels, he began making excuses about "training and certification" and how could we possibly handle that. He made it sound like some impossible task to train grown men to shoot rifles. He said that the solution was "international legal agreements"??? WTF?? If no one is going to go and get the pirates...then what good is any legal papaerwork going to mean?? Piracy has been illegal for centuries. Why is it so difficult to get some current, or ex-marine corp firearms instructors to teach adult men to accurately fire assault rifles well enough to hit a boat out in the open ocean...when they have the high ground? Its not like they need to worry about innocent bystanders.
Insurance industry is the mommy and trial lawyers are the daddy. How can you defeat someone who has nothing to lose? The man with the boat has everything to lose either way. He is in a no win situation. It is amazing people even bother with commerce.
It is amazing people even bother with commerce. ---------------------- I should rephrase that "why bother with physical commerce". Web related business, financial instruments, etc are more suited to todays environment.
Forgive my ignorance, but where does insurance fit into the equation? Armed crews aren't insurable? Or at high premiums? How does that make sense in the context of armed guards at banks, commercial pilots with a glock in the safe, or homeowners with weapons? All get reasonable policies against theft/damage despite owning firearms for protection?
Exactly. Thats why I think anyone making payment to the pirates needs to be gone after in court for providing support to a terrorist organization. The only way to stop this is to make the companies stop paying them.
Below is a Google map view of Eyl, Somalia the main area were the pirates are operating from, up to 200 hostages are kept around there according to the news. They also operate from Harardera, Somalia. Sort of interesting to pan around on the map to see the surrounding area. <iframe width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=7.963272,49.847428&spn=0.007162,0.013733&t=k&z=17&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=7.963272,49.847428&spn=0.007162,0.013733&t=k&z=17&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>