Piracy on the High Seas

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How concerned do we need to be about piracy on the high seas? Should this truly be considered terrorism or are the recent acts carried out near Somalia and around Africa's Cape Horne merely the acts of a few desperate individuals?

The idea of modern-day pirates is hard for many to fathom. Most people think about Johnny Depp's portrayal of pirate Jack Sparrow from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" when the subject is broached. Others conjure up thoughts of Blackbeard, who stormed the seas more than a hundred years ago. Random acts of piracy still occur and many times the results aren't pretty.

In a highly watched incident in April, Somali pirates captured the Danish-owned Maersk Alabama and held Capt. Richard Phillips as hostage. Navy snipers killed three of the pirates and spared a fourth, who was brought to New York for trial.

Also in April, Somali pirates released a ship and its 19-man crew when they learned it was picking up food for a relief mission headed for Somalia. Pirates chased two other ships, one from Malta and the other from Panama, before the ships escaped without incident.

The increasingly aggressive manner of the Pirates has begun to alarm the companies and businesses who sail more than 20,000 trips through the Gulf of Arden, a key water link between Europe and Asia. Pirates have attacked more than 80 boats in 2009. There were 111 attacks in 2008, which more than doubled the numbers for 2007. The cases accounted for about one-third of all piracy in the world. It is estimated that acts of piracy result in losses of $13 to $16 billion per year.

Pirates work in small groups, using stealth to sneak up on huge vessels and taking control through superior weaponry. Most shipping vessels are unarmed and unprepared for such acts of piracy. The pirates aren't after pieces of eight, either; they can earn $1 million or more in ransom for each ship that is seized.

Countries have become increasingly active in using the military to thwart efforts of piracy. India blew a pirate ship out of the water. NATO-based frigates from Canada and Great Britain have been able to scuttle attacks by sending helicopters to attack the pirates.

Part of the problem lies with the Somali government, which has made no effort to slow the pirate gangs or attempt to stop the insurgents. And pirates are often simply detained and released when picked up by foreign authorities, who cite the lack of jurisdiction in the matter.

The United Nations established the Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1982, defining piracy as any criminal act of violence, detention or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft that is directed on the high seas against another ship, aircraft or persons or property on board a ship or aircraft."

Hotspots of piracy include Indonesia, Nigeria, Somalia and the ports of Chittagong in Bangladesh and Santos in Brazil. The most popular targets are oil and gas tankers, followed by bulk carriers.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said there are no easy answers to the problem of piracy. He said the U.S. Navy doesn't have enough ships to patrol the 400,000 square mile portion of the ocean where most problems arise. He called for joint military solution to the problem.

U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton of Maryland is encouraging President Obama to take the offensive and track down the pirates who are patrolling the waters, and clean out the safe havens they are offered in Somalia. Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado disagreed with raiding the Somali coast, citing the risk of casualties and creating unwanted hostages. Coffman's idea is to place small detachments of seamen on U.S. merchant ships to ward off the pirates. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas urged the government to keep the military out of the matter and instead authorize private companies or privateers to take on the matter, but such action might open the door to additional problems, such as the legality and the liability involved.

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