Thus, just the other day, Ukrainian sailors captured off the coast of Somalia by a mysterious band of sea robbers were released. It is noteworthy that this incident occurred in the same corner of the globe where in early November pirates attempted to board a huge ocean liner.
The most notorious crime was committed on November 5, when off the coast of Somalia pirates attacked a passenger ship – the luxurious ocean liner Seabourn Spirit, carrying about 600 tourists from North America and Australia, sailing on the route Egypt – Kenya. The raiders opened fire with automatic weapons and grenade launchers. One crew member was wounded. The ship sent an SOS signal and set course for the Seychelles. One of the passengers contacted a Canadian radio company by phone and recounted what happened: “Early in the morning we were awakened by the sounds of gunfire and the pinging of bullets against the ship’s hull. We did not immediately realize it was bullets. The captain came to us and said we were being chased by a vessel with armed men. He did not raise the alarm to avoid panic and to keep people from rushing onto the deck. We could have been shot. Everyone was told to lie on the floor and not look out the windows. At that moment a rocket was fired at the ship. The pirates fired at the bridge, but all they managed to do was knock out the windows.”
Somali anomaly
Until recently, the seas of Southeast Asia led in maritime piracy, with the Strait of Malacca holding the record with confidence. Now, however, the dubious palm of leadership is steadily drifting toward the coast of Somalia. While in the past six months Asians, thanks to effective countermeasures by regional navies, have dropped to 50 attacks in half a year, the number of pirate attacks off African shores has risen to 40.
After the attempt to seize the Seabourn Spirit, five more similar incidents were recorded in these same parts. Four vessels managed to escape the pirates, but one ship was nevertheless captured. And all within less than a month!
In total, according to data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), since March of this year pirates have captured 25 ships off the coast of Somalia. Six of them have still not been found. Among them are ships from Thailand, Taiwan, Malta and Ukraine. The sea robbers are also holding 100 people from the crews of these vessels. It is believed that the pirates' actions are coordinated from a “mysterious mother ship,” from which high-speed boats with bandits armed with automatic weapons and grenade launchers periodically depart in different directions.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry officially confirmed that on November 18 pirates off the coast of Somalia captured a Maltese vessel with a crew of 22 Ukrainian citizens. The motor ship Panagia, flying the Liberian flag, en route from South Africa to Turkey, was seized 90 miles off the eastern coast of Somalia. The pirates demanded a ransom of $700,000 for the release of the ship. And the ransom, apparently, had to be paid.
For example, after seizing an Italian fishing trawler with a Romanian crew on board in the Indian Ocean near Somalia in January 1999, the pirates demanded a million dollars for each of the 11 sailors. In the end, they settled on $3 million for all of them. Such audacity is explained simply. Six months before this episode, the French violated the unwritten rules of the game. Instead of “honestly” paying $300,000 for their citizens, who had also been taken prisoner, Paris sent two naval vessels to resolve the problem. As a result, none of the 9 hostages could be saved.
Their own fault?
The pirates' tactics are well known: from 6 to 10 bandits, armed with automatic weapons and grenade launchers and moving on small fishing boats, prowl the coast in search of any vessel. Despite repeated warnings from maritime administration about the danger of being in Somali waters, some ships continue to sail close to the coast. These are the ones the pirates usually attacked under the pretext of combating illegal fishing. Over time, however, they became even bolder, venturing far into international waters – 180 miles from the coast.
The Somali transitional government publicly condemned the pirates' actions and called on the international community to help patrol coastal waters. Global shipping companies believe this would benefit not only Somalia, but so far only the European Union has responded to the offer of assistance.
“Sea plowmen” reap the harvest
At the end of last summer, the IMB published a report naming the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore among the most dangerous in terms of the number of pirate attacks. According to the IMB, in the first half of 2005 there were 127 attacks here, a third of them in Indonesian waters, where pirates are called “sea plowmen.” One of the latest raids on a merchant vessel was recorded in the Strait of Malacca in early June. Armed bandits boarded a ship flying the Thai flag near Pangkor Island off the western coast of Malaysia. The pirates took the crew members to an unknown destination and demanded a ransom for their release. In addition, the raiders took important business documents and also demanded a hefty sum from the shipowners for their return. The incident was resolved only a month later.
Another notable case occurred in early July. An Indonesian vessel loaded with palm oil was seized in the Riau archipelago, located near the southern entrance to the Strait of Malacca and considered, according to the IMB, one of the worst “black zones” in the entire region. Soon a tanker flying the Singaporean flag approached the captured ship, onto which the cargo was transferred and then sold at one of Malaysia's ports. Further investigation revealed that the pirates were unemployed Indonesian citizens hired by a local crime boss. He paid each participant of the operation 5,000 Singapore dollars (about $2,300). By Indonesian standards, this is “crazy money.”
Sea robbers do not disdain attacks on medium-tonnage fishing vessels. According to Malaysian press reports, this criminal activity has become particularly widespread off the coast of the northern state of Perlis, the country's second-largest center for fish and seafood harvesting. Attacking fishermen, pirates use a proven tactic, seizing vessels and crews and demanding ransom. Local shipowners were forced to turn to the authorities for protection. Due to the unfavorable situation in the straits, all insurance companies, primarily Lloyd's, have significantly increased insurance rates, leading to a substantial rise in the cost of freight transportation. It is worth noting that the Malacca and Singapore Straits are the busiest maritime transport artery in the world. Between 500 and 600 vessels of various classes pass through them daily.
COMMENTARY
Chargé d'affaires of the Somali Republic in Russia Handule Mohamed Mahamoud:
– Piracy off the coast of Somalia is a special phenomenon. Why should foreign ships dump garbage off our shores and engage in illegal fishing, while we constantly receive reports of attacks on Somali fishermen? Blaming Somalis for organizing international piracy is the easiest thing. I should note right away that our government condemns any attacks on foreigners. However, clear emphasis must be placed on this issue. Media around the world gladly describe the exploits of "Somali bandits" but often forget the social background of such a phenomenon as piracy. The international community must give us the opportunity to protect our shores. We cannot purchase the necessary weapons and military equipment, but we must bear responsibility for what happens in our territorial waters. Is this not absurd? The European Union promised us $45 million in aid for security. Once we receive this money, then we can talk about fighting piracy in our waters.