Pirates of the Caribbean move over for the Pirates of the Gulf of Aden

Posted on November 21st, 2008 by Richard Catto 682 views

Somali is now officially the pirate capital of the world.

Just this last Tuesday (November 18 2008), Indian Navy Ship (INS) Tabar, a Talwar class frigate, sunk a Somalia pirate mothership used to extend the range of Somalian pirate speed boats which are currently plaguing vast areas of the Indian ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

On Tuesday the INS Tabar engaged a flotilla of three Somalian pirate vessels in a 4 – 5 hour battle on the high seas after pirates taunted the Indian Navy vessel and warned it that it would sink it if it approached any closer.

In a report by the International Herald Tribune, it is claimed that at least 8 ships have been subject to hijacking by pirates operating off the East Coast of Africa in the last two weeks. INS Tabar is just one naval ship deployed in the region to combat the growing threat of Somalian pirates. British and American naval vessels are also present in the region and conduct regular patrols.

A Saudi owned supertanker, the Sirius Star, hijacked on Sunday November 16 2008 is still unaccounted for. The Sirius Star was carrying 2 millon barrels of crude oil worth over $100 million when it was hijacked.

Despite the success of the INS Tabar, the Somalian piracy problem is on the increase. This year so far 92 ships have been seized by pirates, triple the number seized in 2007. 14 of those 92 ships remain in pirate hands, whilst ransoms of between $30 and $40 million have been paid to pirates to free crews. These are the official statistics released in a report by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

It is feared that these costs, incurred by shipping companies, will be passed onto consumers.

More than a million square miles of ocean is under threat by Somalian pirates and it is now clear that more naval resources will need to be assigned to this region to secure it.

UPDATE:

via: my heart’s in accra and BBC news

One of the most intriguing aspects of Somalia’s home grown pirate industry is its increasing sophistication, owing in no small part to the enormous amounts of ransom revenue that is pouring in.

Somalian pirates have set up base in Port Eyl which is heavily guarded and has yet to be attacked by any freedom loving country. Port Eyl boasts services such as accountants on call for pirates who need to balance their books, negotiators to extort the maximum ransom amount, armed thugs to supplement pirates’ boarding parties and even special restaurants to cater to the varied tastes of their captives who don’t much fancy the local Somalian fare.

Port Eyl is rapidly becoming the Las Vegas of Somalia.

Soon, perhaps, ship owners may be able to purchase insurance direct from the Pirate Kings which would allow safe passage through their waters, kind of a pre-paid ransom, if you like.

Tags: INS Tabar, pirates, Somalia
Filed under piracy |

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