Pirates of Somalia: Money, Hijackings & the Sea

As one of the most desirable seaports for merchants and oil tycoons, the Gulf of Aden has been the center of shipping and trading for centuries. As an extension of the Indian Ocean it is the waterline that separates Africa from Asia. Geographically, it is that reason alone that makes the Gulf of Aden a prominent channel of income for
the world economy.

Along with merchants, Aristocrats have always been attracted to the Gulf of Aden as it has been a preffered location to sail through on their luxury million-dollar cruises and yachts. A night on a luxury cruise could easily be pulled out of an episode of a Robin Leach program but this cluster of billionaires are not the television types. Their names reflect a dynasty of wealth traced by lineage and at times royalty. The high luxury cruises mirror a fantasy ride through the sea. The lavish perks include head to toe pampering by the finest masseuse and manicurists. Also included are immense exquisite entrees of food and desserts that are always in arm's reach. In addition there is always an overflow of entertainment provided by comedians, alluring dancers and musicians.
On raven nights, couples slow dance to the melodies of sultry vocalists; whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears as they anticipate an excitement that only the night can offer on the rich waves of the Somalian coastline. Based on location, the irony of celebrating ultimate luxury on the Gulf of Aden presents a serious problem. It is one that would seem rather elementary but has somehow caught the world off guard. This past year passengers, merchants and aristocrats who sailed along the glistening waters of Somalia's sea were blindsided by more then currents.

Just when it seemed the good life couldn't get any more fabulous for those all aboard, in just a matter of seconds the whispers of sweet nothings, jazzy tunes and anticipated hopes of bedroom escapades on exotic waters often became shattered with a quickness. As fear, chaos and disarray encompassed the ships, the adrenaline rush of passengers tripled as hearts skipped beats upon the realization that their luxury cruise had been hi-jacked by the bandits of pirates in Somalia. What a way to mess up a vacation!

In 2008, passengers experienced the irony of splurging and luxurious living while in a circumference of poverty and corruption. Also the idea of tankers sailing through the Gulf of Aden carrying multi-million dollars worth of oil in a country where the average income is around 600 U.S dollars created a hectic situation. It is safe to say that press-wise 2008 belonged to Somali pirates. Now after a string of current hijackings against American and British ships the Pirates of Somalia are monopolizing every news headline.

In an early December report, The AP published the following: "At least 95 ships have been attacked this year by pirates in the gulf, while 39 have been hijacked." On December 13th, the AFP headline news story released the newswire:

The EU on Monday officially launched its anti-piracy task mission to the troubled waters off of Somalia's coast. It is the first naval-crisis management operation ever launched by the 27-member group. An EU fleet comprised of six warships and up to three maritime surveillance aircraft will arrive in the Gulf of Aden later this month, replacing a NATO flotilla that has been there since the end of October.... It will also station armed guards aboard vulnerable cargo vessels. About a dozen other warships from the United States, India, Russia and Malaysia are also patrolling the region.

A Pirates Life...

As shocking as it may seem to outsiders, as the International community including the United Nations drafted up plans to defeat the pirates, in their homeland of Somalia the news coverage had turned these sea hustlers into popular flashy characters. With their swag turned on to infinity, it is the pirates who seem to be basking in the popularity of publicity- never missing a headline report about themselves, perhaps believing in the false notion that all press is good press. Not so, not so. The overnight celebrities were treated like princes' in the cities where their ransom money helps-re-energize businesses for locals traders and entrepreneurs. In macroeconomics in order to boost any economy ,spending must be present and spending is something that the pirates are doing. While some complain that the fluctuation of American dollars being spent in a downward economy by pirates is causing prices to rise- hindering the chances of purchasing affordable goods for the average Somali- there are some who say that the pirates are helping the overall goods and services trade in Somalia.

In a Global Envision article by Phillip Hafner, Hafner quoted an ABC news report that interviewed a local shop owner, Sugule Dahir who said that, "There are more shops and business is booming because of the piracy. Internet cafes and telephone shops have opened, and people are just happier than before." In addition to that, Hafner noted that government officials who regulate the regions that the pirates work in are receiving a comfortable 30% of ransom profits. This complicates any governmental resolutions to defeat piracy. Making it that much more difficult to stop the pirates.

Part II

A Pirate's Life continued: A Green Mind? Money, Women & the Sea....

A pirate's life is a calamitous and dangerous one with no promises of ever living to see the next day but yet more and more young men continue to risk their lives and others' lives by joining the forces of piracy. With all the chaos and excitement about piracy in Africa, not all Somalis are turning a blind eye to to the sea criminals. One man who is not a fan of the pirates spoke to Stephanie McCrummen of The Washington Post about the ailments that piracy can bring for the sensitive of hearts. Ilka Ase Mohamed lamented to McCrummen about losing the love of his life, Fatima to a pirate. Mohamed explained how Fatima's mother had suddenly betrothed her to a pirate for fifty thousand dollars. This created a blitz in plans for the couple who had gone to school together and were waiting for Mohamed to raise additional funds for his dowry in order to marry Fatima. He told McCrummen the following:

"This man was like a small king who came to Harardhere. He was dressed like a president. So many people attended him. I got so angry -- I said, 'Why do they accept this situation? You know this is pirate money!'

Pirates having access to getting all the beautiful girls in Africa is the most acute of complaints for many Somalis who are being affected by the difficulties of living in a war-plagued nation. Nevertheless in some parts of the country the pirates are seen as heroes who are merely avenging the wrongdoings imposed on them by illegal fishing and toxic wastes that have killed off members of the Somali population. The trouble with unrestricted commercial fishing in the Somali coastline resulted in many local fishermen going out of business and being driven into poverty as they could not compete with commercial foreign fleets that were acquiring all the resources of their sea. Some of these issues seem to contribute to the decisions of young men who are adopting an irrevocable mindset to pursue a career in piracy for a chance at a life of opulence and grandeur or just a better life then what they know. Somehow bitterness, nihilism and poverty mixed together in any environment no matter what country-or international border seems to trigger the mentality of a criminal mind and a disappearance of respect for human life. The innocent who patrol the Gulf of Aden also suddenly become victims of the situation as well.

In a BBC News release, writer Mohamed Olad Hassan, spoke with one pirate who explained his discontent with the lawless sea and toxic waste dumping that he says motivated him to becoming a pirate. "Years ago we used to fish a lot, enough for us to eat and sell in the markets. Then illegal fishing and dumping of toxic wastes by foreign fishing vessels affected our livelihood, depleting the fish stocks I had no other choice but to join my colleagues." The pirate went on to say that he saw piracy as a sort of national service.

Despite this, it is also difficult to see the Somali pirates as revolutionaries aiding their fellow citizens being that many are fleeing to Kenya with their money. The pirates are also not abstaining from attacking ships that contain humanitarian aid such as food and medicine intended for the many people in dire need of vaccines, food and relief. It is in Kenya where Somali pirates are beginning to set up residence, start businesses , travel the world extensively and build houses with their beautiful women and ransom money. This behavior and choice to take up residence in not Somalia but Kenya leaves an impression of the pirates being sole proprietors with a vested self interest as opposed to having a collective interest in helping their own country. It weakens the theory of piracy being the sole response to oppression in Somalia.

Meanwhile the city of Mogadishu has become a deserted ghost town where more then five hundred thousand people have fled -exiting the dangerous air strikes that leave remnants of shells and at times skeletons buried in debris. The endless exits of innocent children and adults saying goodbye to life on the account of war has become too heavy of a burden to deal with for some Somalis. The ongoing conflict between the Ethiopian-backed government {that was supported by the U.N as a proposed effort to fight extremist groups} and Islamics and Nationalists in Somalia has created non-stop drama and war in a country without a government supported by the people within. No country can successfully function and survive without a parliament with laws being followed by citizens. Without government stability a multitude of problems is bound to erupt. In matters concerning the world trying to defeat the Extremists groups within Somalia; it seems that the theory of the greatest good for the greatest numbers has reduced some Somalis into becoming the casualties of sporadically dropped bombs intended to defeat the same callous extremists groups threatening their own survival. The predicament has left Somalis in a no-win situation as they too have become victims of the situation.

The environmental accusations about Somalis dying and becoming infected with debilitating illnesses because of the toxic waste dumpings have been addressed by various journalists in the last decade. In an Al Jazeera article, UNEP spokesman Nick Nuttall told the press that "Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting in the early 1990s, and continuing through the civil war there. European companies found it to be very cheap to get rid of the waste, costing as little as $2.50 a tonne, where waste disposal costs in Europe are something like $1000 a tonne. And the waste is many different kinds. There is uranium radioactive waste. There is lead, and heavy metals like cadmium and mercury. There is also industrial waste, and there are hospital wastes, chemical wastes - you name it." Ironically since the increase of piracy and the pirates monitering of the Gulf of Aden- the dumping of toxic waste has stopped.

To really understand and resolve the piracy problem in Somalia, one must be aware and knowledgeable about the history of Somalia with all it'scomplications. While the U.N solution to the problem is to send naval ships to defeat the pirates it maybe that under-estimation that has made the problem greater then formerly presumed according to piracy experts. Underestimation is often the pinnacle downfall of those who deem others inferior to them as pedestals create the hardest falls and wounds. It would also be an under statement to say that the pirates have surprised the world with their ongoing acts of what seems to be very organized crime.

On CNN, John S. Burnett who has written extensively about piracy stated that the Somali pirates are unemployed fisherman and unemployed military men who have turned to piracy because of the financial rewards of making thousands of dollars from hijacking ships in exchange of lucrative ransom payments. While this is somewhat true the extreme organization of the pirates and the ongoing unstoppable hijackings resulting in a reported annual income of 150 million dollars in profits last years proves that these so called bandits are not just petty thugs of the sea. It raises questions on who is actually controlling the infrastructure that allows piracy to flourish. Many assumptions have been made but Burnett is very certain that "they (pirates) are just unemployed young men..."

The complications of a lawless sea without commercial fishing restrictions or taxes paid to the country that is supposed to control the sea causes bitterness to the people who are already angry about an invasion, lack of government, a drought and chances of elevating in one of the poorest countries in the world. The exploitation of Somali resources such as fish and all the seafood obtained by other countries fishing freely in the sea is one of the recipes being presented in the issue of piracy. It seems that the pirates continue to rationalize their actions by the theory that they are simply stealing from thieves who have been stealing from them for years. It is a sort of reciprocation of behavior in a psychological sense. Historically, exploitation and oppression is often the justification of crime even when crime should never be justified at any point. Perhaps as some experts have reported there might be hope in the consultation of the Somali Elders who may be able to intervene and mediate the situation of piracy but as long as poverty and war reign supreme, piracy may become another tragic offspring inherited from the deeper problems of the world.

All the real visible issues of Somalia must be addressed in order to close the chapters to the growing problem of piracy because one can not have a conclusion to any problem without knowing the introduction, setting and climax that escalated to what we now see as the end of hope for some young men who have chosen a dangerous life of piracy and crime as a way out. A pro-active approach to understanding all the pieces of a problem helps make a better solution.

In April, after holding the very brave Captain Richard Phillips hostage in the hijacking of the Maersak Alabama, three pirates were killed in the successful rescue of the American Captain. In January, five pirates drowned after their boat capsized in the world's biggest heist at sea. The Somali pirates had just received a reported 3 million dollars in ransom after holding a Saudi Supertanker, the Sirius Star for almost two months. The Sirius Star was carrying a reported 65 to 100 million dollars worth of oil on the coastline. The body of one pirate was discovered along with 153,000 in cash reported the UK"s Independent.

The Independent interviewed Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of the British company Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service, who was quoted as saying that "the incident was unlikely to deter attacks. The loss or potential loss of the ransom means the pirates will be all the more keen to get the next ransom in," he explained to The Independent. "There are people lining up to be pirates."