Medeshi
American sailors kidnapped
Bolder than ever
Apr 8th 2009From Economist.com
Pirates kidnap 20 American sailors off the coast of Somalia
PIRATES have struck again. On Wednesday April 8th it was confirmed that Somali gunmen had hijacked an American-operated container ship, the 17,500 tonne Maersk Alabama. The American crew of 20 were taken hostage after what has been described as a sustained night-time attack. Maersk, the Danish company that owns the vessel, reports that the men aboard are believed to be safe. It is thought to be the first time that an American crew has been seized.
The attack came after a terrible few days for shipping in the pirate-infested waters off Africa’s north-east coast. Six vessels, including a British-owned one, have been seized in the previous week or so. Fifteen were taken last month. Just two were taken in January and February.
The news is alarming for several reasons. It shows that audacious and well-armed Somali pirates remain undeterred by fleets of warships that have been deployed in the area to try to put them out of business. The European Union force alone has six ships and two planes. The Americans have their own ships on patrol, as do the Chinese, the Indians, Russians and several other countries. Roughly a dozen anti-piracy patrols now exist off the coast. Yet they seem almost powerless to spot or intercept the small inflatable skiffs employed by pirates to sneak up on their victims.
The patrols seem to have forced the pirates to operate further out to sea—the Alabama was boarded some 300 miles east of Somalia, well into the Indian Ocean. Yet this does not seem to have curtailed their effectiveness. At least one expert has suggested that the number of seizures only fell off in the first two months of the year because of poor weather, rather than the fear of getting caught or killed. If previous cases are anything to go by, the Alabama will now be sailed to the coast of Somalia where the pirates (see picture above) will guard the vessel and demand a ransom for the ship and crew, which they will duly receive.
This time, perhaps, things might turn out a little differently. The fact that so many Americans have been captured might spur the United States into taking firmer action, maybe even against the pirates’ home bases. Captured American citizens would be of interest to the various militant Islamic militias that operate in Somalia, such as the al-Shabab. No one is quite sure of the exact links between these militias and the pirates. But the Americans, who have a large military base in Djibouti, just north of Somalia, are monitoring events closely.
The seizure of the Alabama, which was carrying food aid, and the recent increase in piracy is also a reminder of the desperate state that Somalia is now in. Apart from a few thousand African Union troops hanging on in Mogadishu to keep some semblance of order in the capital, the country has been virtually abandoned to the militias and clans that have ripped it apart since 1991. In such a deeply poor and wretched place, it is not surprising that pirates are willing to take ever-greater risks to ply their trade. After all, they have nothing to lose—apart from what they can grab on the high seas.
Bolder than ever
Apr 8th 2009From Economist.com
Pirates kidnap 20 American sailors off the coast of Somalia
PIRATES have struck again. On Wednesday April 8th it was confirmed that Somali gunmen had hijacked an American-operated container ship, the 17,500 tonne Maersk Alabama. The American crew of 20 were taken hostage after what has been described as a sustained night-time attack. Maersk, the Danish company that owns the vessel, reports that the men aboard are believed to be safe. It is thought to be the first time that an American crew has been seized.
The attack came after a terrible few days for shipping in the pirate-infested waters off Africa’s north-east coast. Six vessels, including a British-owned one, have been seized in the previous week or so. Fifteen were taken last month. Just two were taken in January and February.
The news is alarming for several reasons. It shows that audacious and well-armed Somali pirates remain undeterred by fleets of warships that have been deployed in the area to try to put them out of business. The European Union force alone has six ships and two planes. The Americans have their own ships on patrol, as do the Chinese, the Indians, Russians and several other countries. Roughly a dozen anti-piracy patrols now exist off the coast. Yet they seem almost powerless to spot or intercept the small inflatable skiffs employed by pirates to sneak up on their victims.
The patrols seem to have forced the pirates to operate further out to sea—the Alabama was boarded some 300 miles east of Somalia, well into the Indian Ocean. Yet this does not seem to have curtailed their effectiveness. At least one expert has suggested that the number of seizures only fell off in the first two months of the year because of poor weather, rather than the fear of getting caught or killed. If previous cases are anything to go by, the Alabama will now be sailed to the coast of Somalia where the pirates (see picture above) will guard the vessel and demand a ransom for the ship and crew, which they will duly receive.
This time, perhaps, things might turn out a little differently. The fact that so many Americans have been captured might spur the United States into taking firmer action, maybe even against the pirates’ home bases. Captured American citizens would be of interest to the various militant Islamic militias that operate in Somalia, such as the al-Shabab. No one is quite sure of the exact links between these militias and the pirates. But the Americans, who have a large military base in Djibouti, just north of Somalia, are monitoring events closely.
The seizure of the Alabama, which was carrying food aid, and the recent increase in piracy is also a reminder of the desperate state that Somalia is now in. Apart from a few thousand African Union troops hanging on in Mogadishu to keep some semblance of order in the capital, the country has been virtually abandoned to the militias and clans that have ripped it apart since 1991. In such a deeply poor and wretched place, it is not surprising that pirates are willing to take ever-greater risks to ply their trade. After all, they have nothing to lose—apart from what they can grab on the high seas.
