The constant hijackings off the Somali coast aren’t really news — or rather, they’re news that everyone else is already reporting, and I don’t usually go into that sort of thing here.
But every time I hear about one of these hijackings, I wonder why people keep sailing their tankers and transport ships into the most dangerous shipping lane in the world without protection — armed guards, rocket launchers, anything. Better yet, why don’t they just stay further away from the Somali coast, out of the reach of the pirates’ speedboats?
It’s not like they don’t know it’s dangerous; in 2008 alone, another 130 ships were attacked there — more than one every three days. Or are shipping company CEOs coldly calculating that it’s cheaper to lose the occasional ship and crew to pirates, or pay the odd ransom, than it would be to decrease revenues by lengthening the journey?
The really amazing thing is that NATO has five ships patrolling the area, the U.S. has another 5-10, and warships from China, Russia, India, Japan and other countries are also roaming Somalia’s little chunk of the Indian Ocean. And yet, Somali pirates hijacked at least 15 ships in March alone.
So how do we stop it? The last time a hijacking was foiled was on March 29, when pirates attacked what they thought was a plump juicy merchant vessel chugging away to some rich Western port. Turns out it was a German navy supply ship brimming with NATO troops, and the confused pirates — many poorly trained and ill-equipped — were quickly arrested. So why not stick with what works? Instead of sending expensive warships to patrol in vain, let’s set up decoys like this one — ships that look privately owned, but are by crewed by troops ready to pounce on would-be hijackers as they board. If you’re a pirate, and you don’t know whether whether your next potential victim is crewed by Norwegian civilians or British special forces, you’re probably less likely to attack.
Image via Radio Netherlands Worldwide.
1 response so far ↓
1 Steph // Apr 8, 2009 at 4:32 pm
So what do you think Somalian pirates say when they board a pirated ship? Are eye patches and parrots still used? Do you think Johnny Depp has the depth to play a Somalian pirate when Disney releases Pirates of the Caribbean: Sailing to Africa, later this year?
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