No matter which way you slice it, pirates have always made it big at the box office. From the legendary Blackbeard, to the devilish Hook, and who can forget the infamous Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Unfortunately, beyond the big screen, piracy has steadily evolved as a source of capital for young Somalians on the north coast of Africa.
Geographically, Somalia is located on the Horn of Africa and borders neighbouring countries, Ethiopia and Kenya. According to the United Nations, the country is home to approximately 8.7 million people, many of which who depend on agriculture to support their livelihoods. However, with the collapse of Siad Barre’s military government in 1991, the country continues to lack a central government. Despite the implementation of the transitional federal government in 2004, the conflict between government forces (backed by Ethiopian troops) and the Islamic militia rages on.
Fending for their territory and their lives, many young Somalians have turned to piracy to generate income for themselves and their families. And why not? With 90% of the world’s trade done by sea, resorting to maritime crime has proven to be a rather lucrative endeavour. However, these modern day pirates, unlike their classical counterparts are hijacking international ships and cargo vessels for hefty sums of ransom money, rather than treasure chests of gold. In 2005, BBC correspondent Hassan Barise reported that $500,000 was the average ransom rate for one ship, its cargo and crew. More recently, ransoms have increased, with pirates demanding as much as $1.5 million in return for the release of various cargo ships.
Why are pirates still on the loose? Well, probably because todays pirate operations (unlike the fictional Disney version) are a little more complicated than peg legs and plank walking. One prominent problem is the failure of nations to take responsibility for policing international waters. Another factor has been the difficulty in deciphering piracy from robbery. In theory, piracy attacks take place in international waters, robberies happen inside territorial waters. Unfortunately, in practice, Somalian pirates have sailed their way around such tight-knit concepts. Although naval and coastguard vessels can pursue pirate attacks in international waters, they cannot pursue them within territorial waters. With this in mind, pirates have seized ships and then sailed into territorial waters to prevent outsiders from intervening. In 2007, one such incident occurred, when a Danish cargo ship, known as the Danica White, was seized by the Somalian pirates. Although a U.S. naval vessel attempted to intercede, it broke off its pursuit once the Danica White was sailed inside Somali territorial waters.
Given the increasing difficulty in tracking pirates, maritime crime continues to rise in the region. This year alone, there have been 74 attacks in the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The latest incident involved the hijacking of an Indian cargo vessel containing 13 crew members. According to the International Maritime bureau, 10 ships containing about 200 crew members remain at the mercy of these pirates.
So, instead of producing another blockbuster movie, maybe we should place closer attention to the actual buccaneers, using desperate measures to keep their heads above water.
Works cited:
BBC News. Profile: Somalia. 2008. Retrieved Oct 21, 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072592.stm.
BBC News. Somalia's dangerous waters. September 2005. Retrieved Oct 21, 2008 from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4283396.stm
Barise, Hassan. Somalia - where pirates roam free. November 2005. Retrieved Oct 21, 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4424264.stm
Childs, N. Somalia's pirates are 'thriving.`Oct 2007. Retrieved Oct 21, 2008 from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7046888.stm
Rankin, N. No vessel is safe from modern pirates . March 2003. Retrieved Oct 21, 2008 from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/7280042.stm
Voice of America. Somali Pirates Hijack Indian Ship. October 2008. Retrieved Oct 21, 2008 from http://voanews.com/english/2008-10-21-voa30.cfm
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