Briefing: A threat to international shipping

Tom Hanks’ latest film, Captain Phillips, is based on the true story of when the MV Maersk Alabama was seized by Somali pirates.

Four attackers held the crew of 20 hostage and then separately kept Richard Phillips on a lifeboat for four days before gunmen on board the destroyer USS Bainbridge shot the American’s captors and rescued him.

It became a high-profile story in the States but piracy off the coast of Somali has been a regular threat to international shipping since the turn of the century.

But what is it? Who are responsible and why are they doing it?

The history

To cut a long story short, the Somalian civil war saw the collapse of the government and its navy, leaving the country’s waters undefended.

Foreign trawlers began illegally fishing there, while large ships also began dumping waste.

The fish stock eroded (with millions of dollars of tuna, shrimp, and lobster being taken), harming local fishermen’s livelihoods. They teamed up and set about trying to protect their resources.

Some reports suggest that, in the absence of a national coast guard, these fishermen formed groups whose mission is reflected in some of the pirate groups’ names — such as the National Volunteer Coast Guard.

However, the different networks and motivations muddy the waters considerably and the profitability of huge ransom payments has seen many groups funded by militia and criminals, who then split the profits.

Where

The Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Statistics

According to The World Bank Group (that offers support to developing countries) since the first known hijacking in April 2005 up until 2010, reportedly 149 ships have been ransomed, for an estimated total of $US315 — $US385 million. As many as 3,741 crewmembers of 125 different nationalities have been captured with detention periods of up to three years, while a reported 82 to 97 casualties have occurred as a result of these attacks.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks had by October 2012 dropped to a six-year low, with only one ship attacked in the third quarter compared to 36 during the same period in 2011

Notable attacks for further reading

2007 Chinese sailor killed aboard a Taiwanese fishing ship when ship’s owner refused to negotiate a ransom.

2009 24 Ukranian crew freed from a Greek ship after a reported  $3m ranson is paid.

2010 Ransom payment frees British couple who had been held for more than a year.

What has been done?

The response has seen widespread co-operation between countries.  The Puntland region of Somalia has been active, there has been an Arab League summit and a UN resolution. Also, many private companies and shipping companies have tried to combat the threat

There are three international task forces that comprise the bulk of counter-piracy operations — Combined Task Force 150, Combined Task Force 151 and the EU naval task force operating under Operation Atalanta. 

All counter-piracy operations are coordinated through a monthly planning conference called Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE), which now regularly attracts representatives from over 20 countries.