Piracy - An Ancient Crime Goes Modern

Piracy isn't just for Hollywood these days. Piracy has been around as long as sea trade has been around - by some accounts, piracy dates back to the 13^th century BC (Source: Wikipedia). Modern-day piracy is a major headache for the shipping industry, especially around Somalia and Nigeria, although pirate attacks around southeast Asia and South America are also not uncommon. Far from being romantic Robin Hoods of the high seas, today's pirates are more akin to a sea-faring version of gangsters - with the AK-47s to prove it.

How modern piracy is carried out

Most of today's modern pirates use speedboats to quickly encircle large freight ships that have trouble escaping the much faster boats. Armed with shoulder-launched rockets and AKs, the pirates warn the ship's captain that the ship will be blown out of the water unless the ship is turned over to the pirates. The ship's captain, usually only lightly armed and with much more at stake than the pirates, acquiesces and hands over the ship. At that point, the pirates contact the ship owners and demand a ransom in order for the release of the ship and its cargo. (Source: NPR)

This is when the navy sails in with white hats and saves the day, banishing the pirate scum, right? No, not quite. To the contrary, most of the time, the pirates' demands are met; a ransom is paid, and the ship and her crew are released. And the pirates move on to their next victim.

Why do ship owners give in to the pirates' demands? Well, do the math: You have a ship that's worth $150 million, together with cargo that's worth another $100 million. If a pirate asks you for a one million dollar ransom, this is worth 1/250^th of the cost of your ship and your cargo, not to mention that the lives of your crew are at stake. Would you rather pay this somewhat paltry amount to the pirates, or wait for reinforcements, which might or might not be able to save your ship and your crew?

Why piracy is so prevalent near Somalia

Currently, most modern-day piracy occurs right off the coast of Somalia. In fact, according to the International Chamber of Commerce's weekly piracy report, most of the last fifteen piracy incidents happened either in the Gulf of Aden, which is off the coast of northern Somalia, or just east of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital city.

There are two main reasons for Somalia being a hotbed of modern piracy: first, Somalia is a notoriously unstable nation that has been embroiled in civil war for decades. The current Somali government claims (probably rightly) that it does not have the resources to pursue the pirates (Source: NPR).

Second, Somalia's geographic location makes it a perfect place for pirates to pick off large ships. Because of its proximity to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, many oil tankers from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, and other Middle Eastern countries have no choice but to pass through Somali waters on their way to their final destinations. This makes Somalia an excellent launch point for pirate attacks.

Stopping piracy - challenges and solutions

One current challenge to the pursuit of pirates is the demarcation between "international waters" and "territorial waters". Territorial waters are coastal waters that are part of a sovereign nation's territory, whereas international waters are a neutral ground that does not belong to any one nation. Sometimes, while in pursuit of pirates, a naval or coast guard ship must stop its pursuit before crossing that invisible line in the ocean between international and territorial waters (Source: BBC). Unfortunately, this challenge when it comes to pursuing pirates happens all too often - and the pirates know it.

But this is not to say that nations are not cooperating to protect shipping interests against pirate attacks. A coalition of naval forces called Taskforce 150, for example, has banded together British, American, Pakistani, and other navies since 2003. It is commonly understood, however, that more international cooperation is necessary if piracy is to be significantly impeded.

In Somalia alone, the "piracy industry" generates over $50 million - Somalia's largest source of income (Source: NPR). While piracy remains such a profitable enterprise, there will be pirates - just as there were in the 13^th century BC.