| It's not a Hollywood movie
or a 19th century novel: pirates have attacked hundreds of ships recently and
just last week, they hijacked an Egyptian ship in the Gulf of Aden, off the horn
of Africa, demanding ransom money for the return of the boat and its crew. Last
year, pirates attacked 263 ships, held over 150 sailors hostage, and killed more
than a dozen people, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
Pirates thrive off anarchy
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The most pirated waters are off the coast of Somalia in East Africa. |
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Nowhere is the problem worse than
in waters off the Somali Coast in East Africa, where at least six boats have been
captured in the last month and half alone.
The war-torn country
of Somalia, located at the entrance of one of the world’s busiest shipping
lanes, has been without a functioning government since 1991. With no authority
to rein in rogue ships, attacks have become increasingly brazen in recent years.
Somali pirates have seized at least 30 vessels thus far this year, up from
just two during same period in 2004. While pirates used to simply raid ships
for cash kept in onboard safes, they have begun capturing entire boats and holding
the crews hostage for ransom. In late August, Somali pirates hijacked three
boats in a single day —two within an hour — an incident
the IMB director called “unheard of." Authorities believe the
three ships and their crew are currently being held, along with several other
captured vessels, in the town of Eyl, which has been called a “pirate base.” The
hijackers are demanding $8.2 million to free vessels and several dozen seamen
captured on August 19. Pirate "mother ships"
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Modern pirates use modern weapons like assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades
to hold ships hostage. | |
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Pirates have also begun using
other captured boats as "mother ships" from which to launch attacks
more than 200 nautical miles offshore, a distance maritime authorities recommend
that sailors keep between them and the Somali Coast to avoid pirates. The
hijackers then steer the boat into Somali territorial waters so they cannot be
pursued. Pirates have used distress flares to lure ships close to shore, and
out of international waters, before ambushing them. Seafaring gunmen have
even attacked boats bringing much needed aid to poverty and famine stricken Somalia. Armed
with AK-47's and rocket propelled grenades, Somali pirates hijacked a U.N. World
Food Program boat and held its crew hostage for 101 days. "These
are ruthless people who are heavily armed," said the director of the IMB,
Capt. Pottengal Mukundan. “There's nothing romantic about piracy."
Ties to terrorists
There are also concerns that pirates may have ties to terrorism, including Al-Qaida. Somalia’s
lawlessness has made it a safe-haven for Al-Qaida operatives. American forces
have carried out a number of attacks against suspected terrorist leaders in country,
including a missile strike in May that left 11 people dead.
Authorities
fear that funds raised through piracy could be used to support terrorists; or
that the pirates themselves may be terrorists seeking to disrupt the global economy.
U.S. warships go after pirates
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Members of the U.S. Navy assist a Taiwanese fishing boat that was hijacked by
pirates. | |
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In response to mounting concerns,
the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution in June allowing foreign warships
to enter Somali territorial waters. Authorized to use "all necessary
means" to tackle piracy, a coalition of American, European and Canadian
warships and aircraft have begun patrolling the area. "The idea is to
counter and deter” piracy, Lieutenant Stephanie Murdock, spokeswoman for
the U.S. fleet leading the coalition, told reporters. The number of ships
involved and the fleet's exact location have not been made public for
security reasons. American ships have fought pirates before. In 2006,
an American destroyer intercepted an Indian vessel, which had been secretly taken
over by pirates and used as mother ship to launch attacks for days. And
in March of 2008, elite French commandos and attack helicopters raided a group
of Somali pirates after they had released French hostages captured on a luxury
yacht earlier that year.
Not like Johnny Depp
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Observers warn that modern pirates are very different from fictional characters,
like Johnny Depp's popular Jack Sparrow. | |
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Most pirates claim they are wrongly
accused. They say they are local protectors trying to support their village
and stop foreign fishing vessels from illegally fishing in Somali waters. But
most observers are not convinced. Juman Muita, a crew member from the captured
World Food Program boat warned today’s pirates are not like Johnny Depp
in "Pirates of the Caribbean." “Somali pirates are better
armed, and they want ransom, not just our goods,” Muita explained. “These
pirates are worse than the pirates we read about in history books.” |
After H1N1-related school closures in the last flu season, local schools have lowered the severity of their response and are focusing on preventative action that does not interrupt education.
