Piracy -The View from Here-

[plachalam]

Here’s an update on the little piracy problem we’re having over here.

It’s still going on and the situation is deteriorating.

A couple of observations from my perspective (that of the hunted)

Although you don’t hear anything about it on the news, we still have a problem over here, with over 200 merchant seamen currently being held hostage on the coast of Somalia, and armed pirate groups operating freely in the IOR and GOA.

The situation will only deteriorate until individual merchant vessels transiting the area are armed. The size of the areas involved make naval protection of any individual vessel impossible. We’re dealing with small, widely dispersed groups, who have the advantage of mobility and the flexibility to quickly adapt to changing conditions.

Arming merchant ships, although it is the only proven tactic, is a difficult thing to achieve due to some regulatory issues governing carriage of weapons on merchant vessels. I refer specifically to the ITAR regulations encoded in 22CFR, and Egyptian Government policy on transport of arms through the Suez Canal.

The ITAR needs to be amended to provide for the carriage of arms aboard US flag merchant vessels transiting these areas. In addition, the US State Department needs to continue to lobby the government of Egypt to allow secure bonded passage of declared arms for vessel protection through the Suez Canal. Merchant vessels are currently required to transfer any personal protection weapons aboard to canal authorities upon arrival, and receive them before departure after canal transit. This policy creates an expensive logistic bottleneck that is a further impediment to arming merchant vessels.

If you have the time and inclination to weigh in on this issue the best thing you could do would be to write your congressman and let them know that the ITAR needs to be amended and we need to continue to lobby the government of Egypt to change it’s Suez policy.

I know that this piracy situation is a hugely complex issue, with many variables and it always elicits a lot of opinions…this is just the view from here. I’ve been operating in this area, (GOA Shuttle and East African service) since 05’ delivering US food aid and military cargos and have some definite opinions of my own……

 

[island_sands]

The UK Royal Navy's Maritime Trade Organisation (MTO) sits very close to me at work - their work in the region is a 24/7 operation and they have been dedicated to the control of piracy in this region (MENA and East Africa) for many years. Although the MTO team focus is in support of UK flag and UK interest shipping in the area, it works closely with coalition forces and is available to provide support across the entire maritime industry including shipping of all flag registry and ownership. The voluntary reporting scheme covers the Red Sea, Indian Ocean north of 5S as well as the Arabian Gulf.

On a voluntary basis, ships of any flag or ownership can to report to the Maritime Trade Operations team in Dubai on passing the following reference points: (is this something your vessel does already?)

a. Suez for vessels entering or leaving the Region via the Red Sea
b. 5S for ships entering or leaving the Region via the Indian Ocean (east)
c. 78E for ships entering or leaving the Region via the Indian Ocean (south).

NATO provide a similar service NATO Shipping Centre (numnwsvwb2): Active Endeavour

Are these services worthwhile, and have you used them?

I wouldn't want to start a heavy discussion on this (especially a political one) as there are so many factors involved here, but I do have a couple of questions, out of curiosity.

1. Do you not think that attacks/defense from civilians would provoke or incite unnecessary shootings or incidents and these are best left to the experienced military fleets?

2. Do you not think that allowing merchant vessels to carry arms would then lead to other problems, aside from the obvious viligante risk, but illegal arms trafficking?

It would be interesting to hear your take on the matter.

 

[devondave]

I could be wrong about this, but isn't one of the reasons it's difficult to arm merchant or civilian ships because of insurance problems?

Oh, and just a little reminder from your friendly db staff.
Please people lets keep this thread as cordial as possible.
You know it makes for a much better discussion.
Don't make me set Podge on you, you won't like it. :martial

 

[cdavis]

Cordial, CORDIAL??? Of course the islamo-crazys, the right wing "kill'em all" war mongers, the pinko-commie liberals and all the rest of us will be kiss and be cordial. After all, this is DB. Get nasty and me and Podge and a bunch of others might jump out of their computer screens and strangle'em.

Having got that off my chest, this is an interesting and complicated subject. I strongly suspect that arming crews with personal weapons is probably a bad idea, but, for sure, if I was crew, my 12 gauge pump and 50 rounds of buckshot would be mighty welcome.

Plachalam makes some very good points about enforceability. Self defense has a lot to be said for it. Seems to me that the shipping companies need to invest in some hi tech radars that can detect the small boats the bad guys use and some radar guided 50 calibers. Sink the boats before the pirates can get aboard. Once aboard, armed resistance may have more problems than solutions. Such an approach has a distinct problem with false alarms, would not do to kill some innocent fishermen. Probably the military should be involved in training the crews in rules of engagement and identifying the bad guys. Whatever insurance, political, regulatory problems need to be fixed so an effective and legal self defence can be raised. Finally, the heart of the problem is ashore. Going after the bases is much more effective for military force and/or economic aid.

Connor

 

[agbiv]

I resent the thinly veiled accusation that I very well might, and definitely have in the past, blown a gasket :martial, lost my focus :blackeye, and run amuck during a seemingly intelligent and illuminating conversation on the current problem with Somalian pirates :rcard (sea thieves, extortionists, & terrorists). I will read, discuss with my invisible friend here and then work my frustration out elsewhere. Pesky yard squirrels and local pedestrians beware.

 

[plachalam]

UKMTO, MARLO, MSC-HOA, and all the combined forces participating in Operation Ocean Shield are all dedicated and tireless in the performance of their duties. Without their efforts the situation would undoubtedly be much worse. Participation in all the reporting schemes is a basic part of the security measures we implement when transiting these areas.

Unfortunately, due to the sheer size of the areas involved, and the nature of the threat, it is just not possible for the pirates to be contained or even seriously mitigated by the current efforts.

A quick look at the NATO Shipping Centers website http://www.shipping.nato.int/CounterPir will make this very clear, and will give you a good idea of the scope of the problem.

The dis-arming of merchant ships is a only recent phenomenon, stemming from the events of 9/11. When I first started going to sea in the late 70’s, most US Flag ships carried arms under the master’s control, for protection of the vessel and her crew. This had been accepted practice at sea for hundreds of years. After 9/11, with the implementation of the ISPS code as part of SOLAS in 2004, and the ITAR regulations in the States, merchant ships have been disarmed in the name of “security”. You can see the end result. These acts of piracy would never have occurred prior to 2001. It would have been too hazardous for the pirates and the incentive would just not be there.

The best analogy I can give, one that all free divers understand, would be the practice of feeding sharks. That’s what we’re doing. Strangely enough, by presenting all these soft targets, we are creating a situation where we are endangering the Somali’s involved as well as the crews of the merchant vessels.

To answer your questions:
The re-arming of merchant ships would make the incentive go away, with the end result of making the sea’s safer for all concerned, Somali pirates as well as seamen.
Yes, in a perfect world, it would be better to leave the difficult and dirty business of protecting ourselves to trained police forces or military. What most people on shore don’t understand is that it is still very much a big and wild world out past the sea buoy, and all the protections and services that we take for granted on land are just not available unless you can provide for them yourselves. If we have a fire aboard at sea we can’t call the fire department. If someone gets injured, we have to provide them with medical care. We previously had the ability to provide for our own security at sea, but this capability has been removed.
As far as training requirements, here is another perverse paradox that we are presented with. As part of my professional training requirements, I am obligated to have basic training in small arms/force protection. This is required for some of our vessels under contract to the government as a part of the charter agreement, in order to protect government cargos. So on a commercial vessel under government contract I am required to bear arms with my current level of training, in order to protect a government cargo. But if I walk down the gangway of that vessel, and come on board a vessel on a straight commercial trade route, I cannot bear arms to protect the lives of the crew. Even if we are carrying the same military and aid cargos. Go figure.

To the smuggling question; simple answer, no. Any smuggling that goes on these days is in those containers. For someone to attempt to smuggle arms as part of a declared arms locker just wouldn’t work.

And as to the suggestion of an enhanced electronic capability. This is not needed. The commercial marine grade 3 and 10 cm radars are more than capable of detecting small vessels that pose a potential threat. After that initial detection, there is no substitute for a pair of experienced eyeballs on the binoculars. It is quite easy to differentiate between the Omani tuna fishermen, the normal smugglers, the Iranian Dhows, the UAE Dhows, and the actual pirates who may be approaching will ill intent.
For an armed crew, at that point all it takes is some splashes across the bow at 400 meters, and in every case so far, the attack has broken off. The prospect of approaching a stable platform with a 33 meter height advantage and steel plating protecting the crew, and having to scale a ships side from a moving small boat is a suicidal task. The pirates realize this and break off accordingly. All the long range purse seiners operating in the IOR are armed and they are no longer targets. The pirates realize that the risk /reward equation is not in their favor.

As to the insurance costs, our corporate P&I specialist has informed me that the P&I costs to an armed vessel in the pirate zone are less than the cost to an unarmed vessel. No surprises there.

Just from my own observations over the last four years, as this piracy renaissance has developed, I have seen the corporate and governmental policies on arming merchant ships go from a stance of “never under any circumstances” to “yes under special circumstances”. Unfortunately these policy changes come very slowly and are always event driven. What we need is a return to the more rational policy of just a few years ago, when ships crews were allowed the tools to provide for their own defense against attacks on the high seas.

Look at it this way: if there were armed gangs roaming the streets of Dubai, New York, and London, invading office buildings by force, with indiscriminate firing of automatic weapons and RPG’s, holding over twenty office buildings and their occupants hostage for months at a time, would their be any debate? Would there be armed security on scene?

Unfortunately, because most of the victims of piracy are citizens of 3rd world countries, Asia and East Asia predominantly, it is just not something that is being treated with any sense of urgency.

Hope that this gives a different perspective on a very involved and complicated situation that has evolved here in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean over the past four years. We live in interesting times.

One other thought concerning the Somali pirates involved. They have shown an impressive ability to conduct improvised small boat operations over a huge area, despite the presence of a large and sophisticated naval force specifically tasked to suppress them. Anyone who is familiar with the history of the tribes in the Horn of Africa cannot help but be impressed by their tenacity, independence, and combative mentality. Historically they have always been tenacious opponents. These same tendencies have also brought their country to ruin and caused a great deal of suffering.

That being said, it’s time to stop feeding the sharks. Here's a couple photos of the good guys this morning off the Omani coast.
Cheers

 

[Kars]

For what's it's worth, here's a few cents.

I'm in favour of private self protection, not in favour of standing armies.
I think it's a universal human right to be armed, and I think it's criminal of any institution to deny you this right, effectively turning it into a privilege - a temporary permit granted by your master.
Notice, the police is only there to pick up the pieces AFTER the assault happens.

With power comes responsibility, every person should have the skills and discernment abilities to handle the tools to defend his personal property and his fellow crew.

As I understood, many east African fisherman have been pressured, forced to quit fishing and pick up another profession because off the overfishing done by the international big commercial fishing companies.

As a temporary compromise you're company can buy or construct and electrified wire around he ship.

Godspeed,

Kars

 

[plachalam]

Subject: PIRACY ALERTS [Our Ref:MMU31376]
　
PIRACY ALERTS
All vessels are urged to use extreme caution and maintain max CPA with any
vessels acting suspiciously in the Arabian Sea, Somali Basin and Indian
Ocean. If necessary to transit these high risk waters, mariners are
encouraged to use all counter-piracy measures and employ all best management
practices.
　
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - Hijacked IZUMI remains on mother
ship operations Alert - mother ship activity 04:35N 048:04E 23:41Z 29
December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - SHIUH FU NO.1 continues mother ship
activity Alert - mother ship activity 13:05S 056:33E 02:45Z 30 December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - Hijacked vessel YORK operating as
mother ship Alert - Mother ship 00:07N 062:09E 05:39Z 30 December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - hijacked YORK continues operating as
mother ship Alert - Mother ship 00:38N 63:59E 09:39Z 30 December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - Hijacked HANNIBAL II operating as
mother ship Alert - Mother ship 12:38N 059:00E 13:21Z 30 December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - Hijacked MOTIVATOR observed as
mother ship Alert - Mother ship 15:21N 057:52E Time unknown 30 December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - Hijacked SHIUH FU NO.1 operating as
mother ship Alert - Mother ship 13:05S 056:33E 10:45Z 30 December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - Hijacked POLAR operating as mother
ship Alert - Mother ship 00:49.57N 50:08.57E 12:50Z 30 December 2010
Horn of Africa/Gulf of Aden - WARNING - Hijacked THOR NEXUS observed Alert -
Possible mother ship 150 nm south of Socotra 14:37Z 30 December 2010
　
　
Wishing you a pleasant voyage and a good watch.
With Regards,

 

[Mr. X]

Because the pirates are not killing hostages, I think governments around the world - with one or two notable exceptions - are taking a "softly, softly" approach to them. Unbelievably tolerant in many ways. Perhaps they are so over-regulated that they cannot or dare not act? Maybe they also see it as means of channeling funding from wealthy shipping companies to a very poor country? Perhaps also they see it as Somalia generating revenues from its coast, as other countries have in the past, during their own development? I can't help thinking westerners or other more developed countries are directly and indirectly participating in this multi-million dollar business, or benefiting from it. I hear the pirates already had currency counting machines a year or two ago - it's more than a cottage industry.

 

[Kars]

I share your suspicions.

"Never let a good crisis go to waste" is a quote that comes to mind.

Hegel: Problem, reaction, solution.

Not to put the needless suffering down, I too think bigger interests have another agenda. It seams always the same people get very rich from crises.