Piracy may seem like a thing of the past but it is still happening around the world. It is a major problem off the coast of Somalia. The pirates steal ships and hold the crew and cargo ransom.
These aren't the peg-legged, eyepatch wearing, parrot sitting on their shoulders pirates like there used to be. The Somali pirates work in crews of fishermen, militiamen, and techological experts. They use fishing boats and other small boats to get next to the ship and then they climb on. Armed with sub-machine guns, rocket launchers, and hand guns, these pirates are not to be messed with. They take the crew hostage and hijack the ship and hold it for millions of dollars ransom.
One ship the pirates took was the Sirius Star. It is a Saudi-Arabian oil tanker that was holding $100 million worth of oil. The pirates were paid $25 million for the ship and crew. Another was a Ukrainian ship called the Faina that was filled with guns, grenade launchers, ammunition, and tanks. In the article "Somali Pirates Capture Tanks and Global Notice" by Jeffrey Gettleman, an anonymous Western diplomat says, "If there are tanks on board, I don't think there's a chance in hell they can get them unloaded." It is worth $30 million and the ransom has still not been paid but the United States Navy is chasing after it.
Some ships hire bodyguards but they haven't been successful in stopping the attacks. Now, many countries send their navies to patrol the waters in that area to ensure that this doesn't happen anymore. Along with their navies, I think countries need to send their militaries to stop the source of the pirates on land. We can't just sit around and do nothing because innocent people are going to get hurt. The pirates will never be truly stopped until we get to the heart of the problem.
So, what do you think needs to be done about the pirate attacks?
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ReplyDeletePiracy is a crime that takes place at an international level, and local governments are often too weak to fight the pirates by themselves. Anti-piracy laws should be enforced by the UN and Interpol.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting part of this is how countries are showing a rare sense of unity towards piracy. India agreed to send its naval force around the Somalia area, and U.S. and France are permitted to enter Somalian waters to check piracy. Russia, Germany, and China also have agreed to send troops or maritime ships and destroyers to join anti-piracy operations. The reason for these cautious actions are because all countries are aware of the threat on the world's maritime industry and trade.
ReplyDeleteI always used to enjoy the notion of the camaraderie and fellowship that pirates shared when I was a boy, but as I have learned more and more about the horrors that these terrorists bring to innocent people, I have lost all respect for the old-fashioned image of pirates.
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, pirates have appeared where there is 1)vast sea-borne wealth to steal, and 2)no powerful naval force in the region. The basic flaw is that Somalia has had no central government since 1991 and that the nearby powers are rather small and pathetic, at least in terms of naval strength. Notice how, in the list of countries that Shingo Yamada provided about countries that are contributing military forces, Ethiopia, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kenya, and Eritrea never appeared. Above all, an effective Somali government is needed to ensure the peace; however, bumping off all the warlords is rather difficult.
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