"Piracy, like terrorism, is a disease which is against everybody, and everybody must address it together."
--- Prince Saud Al-Faisal
2008 saw a gargantuan rise in piracy attacks. Globally, an unprecedented 49 ships and nearly 900 crew members were seized by pirates. Seafarers suffered 293 attacks last year, compared from the 263 recorded in the previous year, based from the data obtained at the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In the Gulf of Aden alone, vessel hijacking incidents shot up almost to the high heavens. According to UNOSAT, a total of 180 hijackings off the Somali coast have been reported, 46 of which was a successful takeover, 69 attempted but failed. as of this writing, MV Longfellow is still held captive by the Somali pirates. 12 Filipino seafarer were reported to be part of the 13-man crew hijacked by assailants. The Hong-Kong-flagged, Iran-operated MV Delight was taken by suspected Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on November 18, onboard is a 25-man crew, seven of which are Filipinos. The pirates’ best trophy so far, the Sirius Star, was hijacked within the same month by the Somali pirates in a raid several hundred miles out to sea. The Saudi Arabia-owned supertanker, which is fully loaded with million barrels of crude oil, manned by a 25 crew with 19 Filipino seamen was captured by pirates 450 miles south-east of Mombasa, Kenya . But the International Chamber of Shipping said it believed the ship was 800 miles east of Mombasa when attacked. The Pirates have demanded $25M as ransom.
Likewise, in this shipping route notorious for dozens of hijackings by Somali pirates, the Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged chemical carrier, MV Chemstar Venus had also been held in custody. Philippine authorities confirmed the presence of 18 Filipino crew men among the hostages. In addition, MT Centauri was hijacked on September 17, with 26 all-Filipino crew. This incident has been confirmed by the undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, Esteban Conejos Jr. of the DFA. He stressed out that the Somali pirates were behind the forcible take over of this Greek-owned ship. Noel Choong, head of the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre said in an interview, that the attacked happened about 200 nautical miles from the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Other foreign vessels captured by Somali Pirates were MT Capt. Stefanos taken last September 21, with 17 Filipino seafarers; MT African Sanderling hijacked on October 15 with 21 Pinoys; MT Stolt Strength, November 10 with 23; and F/B Tianyu #8, November 14, with three.
True enough, more than 100 Filipino seafarers from more than 10 vessels have become hostage in Somalia along with other seafarer-nationals. These events are startling up to a point of uneasiness among our fellowmen who finds hefty salary working in foreign- shipping vessels. Despite clear and present danger brought about by Pirates in the sea particularly the Somali pirates, seemingly Filipinos still leads the race of sending maritime personnel/ workers out to sea. According to Amante Maragtas, ‘RP still is the largest supplier of seafarers in the world.’ With more or less half a million Filipinos onboard foreign vessels, not including those marine personnel waiting to be onboard, this definitely is a significant number and combining it with the present problem of piracy, this is indeed alarming. A question subsequently popped out from my mind, what about their security to this threat?
These criminal activities commonly happening in the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, have been a source of living for the Somali pirates. This group of bandits hijacked commercial vessels and demanded ransom from ship-owners in the process. Worst, assailants are using GPS navigational aids and satellite phones to find potential targets, according to a report last month by the international affairs think tank, Chatham House. It warned of the danger a tanker could come under attack:
"As pirates become bolder and use ever more powerful weaponry a tanker could be set on fire, sunk or forced ashore, any of which could result in an environmental catastrophe that would devastate marine and bird life for years to come… The pirates' aim is to extort ransom payments and to date that has been their main focus. However, the possibility that they could destroy shipping is very real."
Overall, attacks off Somalia accounted for 42 of the hijackings and 815 of the crew abducted, International Maritime Bureau said. Indeed, ‘Pirates …in Somalia have made shipping routes off east Africa among the most dangerous in the world’. Other hotspots for brigands include Nigeria with 40 attacks last year and Indonesia with 28.But why is it frequently happening in Somalia?
I think UN Gen Sec Ban Ki Moon is right in pointing out, “We must be mindful that piracy is a symptom of the state of anarchy which has persisted in that country for over 17 years.” Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and its lawless coastline is a haven for pirates. Multimillion dollar ransoms have become one of the only ways to make money in this impoverished nation.
Aside, there are many fishes in the sea. The Gulf of Aden is an important route where most tankers and vessels passed thru. Strategically speaking, it is the doorway to the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal is an important destination since it connects the red sea and Mediterranean Sea or in a larger context, Europe and Asia. It avoids the long travel of getting around Africa just to pass thru, a short cut so to speak. Hence, if the vessel is coming from the Mediterranean where most of the oil comes from and would take the Suez for a quicker trip, then definitely the Gulf of Aden will be there exit and the pirates will be there prepared to strike them. With this in mind what has been the solutions provided by the International community to solve this particular problem? Again, this leads me to ask, what really is the antidote to this problem? Is it a geo-political problem?
UN’s response to this matter was fairly feasible. The 15-member body of the UN Security Council, which unanimously adopted a resolution reiterating earlier calls to countries and regional organizations with the necessary capability to deploy naval ships and military aircraft off the coast, laid out additional measures, and proposed to bring the pirates to justice and possibly go after them on land.
Some countries heed to the call. US, Russia, France, UK and India were in the forefront of this task. South Korea and other affected nations with capability to deploy naval ships are also gearing up to guard the high seas near Somalia. These countries send support ships to act as watchdog of vessels passing in the Gulf of Aden. Developments on this case provided positive verve. One instance, an international flotilla including U.S. warships has stopped many attacks in recent weeks. However, the area is too vast to keep all ships safe in the vital sea lane that links Asia to Europe. Since the area is porous, the Somali pirates still find its way to do their bad deeds.
Further events, eight pirates arrested last month by a British warship went before a Kenyan court in Mombasa on Wednesday. France is holding pirates arrested in two separate attacks on French vessels. India also has handed over 11 Somali pirates to Yemen. The Dutch government called on European countries to ensure all arrested pirates face justice after agreeing Thursday to prosecute five suspected pirates captured this month by the Danish navy off the coast of Somalia.
Ostensibly, these nations acted, not entirely for the sake of all the affected entities. They acted for some reason like protecting their citizens’ vessels, and guarding the goods precious to them such as oil, etc. For one, America’s 5th Fleet closely monitored a pirated ship off the coast of Somalia because it carries a cargo of 33 advanced Russian-made T-72 tanks, spare parts, and ammunition. This Ukrainian vessel flying the flag of Belize was reported to be bound for Kenya, though an American military official said they were being shipped to a former rebel group in southern Sudan, the Sudan People's Liberation Army. According to a spokesman for the 5th Fleet, Lieutenant Nathan Christensen; “Our aim and focus is to deter destabilizing activities to create a lawful maritime order. Piracy is but a small part of that." They have a broader mission than go after pirates.
The problem arising in this regard is whether these nations have in mind the common interest of all or is it for some vested interests only? But then, is it really the concern of these countries to provide protection on foreign private entities? As voiced out by 5th Fleet, Vice Admiral William Gortney, vessels “must take measures to defend their vessels and crews.”Admiral Gortney said he lacked the resources to provide 24-hour protection to all of the commercial ships that pass through the Gulf of Aden. What is more, maybe the problem of who shall prosecute pirates can be seen. Nonetheless, this heightened action has been quite effective but does it really solve the problem of Piracy particularly in the Gulf of Aden?
Another perspective, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) urged governments to maintain security patrols in their waters and ships to remain vigilant against attacks amid the global financial downturn. "With the world economy in its present uncertain condition, there is a possibility of piracy increasing," the bureau said in a statement. Attacks worldwide have also grown more violent over the past year, IMB pointed out, with 11 crew members killed and 21 missing and presumed dead. The number of incidents in which guns were used nearly doubled from 72 in 2007 to 139 last year.
In a nutshell, the perspectives in solving this problem have been categorized into two principal means: one, to restore the rule of law to Somalia, the epitome of a failed state, or two, blockade the country, searching every vessel that leaves its shores. One of these solutions would be hard to implement. The other is quite realistic? Yet outside governments have refused to try. What about the Philippines’ action?
As the Philippines does not have much ocean-going commercial ships to protect much more naval warships to be deployed, it had to focus instead on its vaunted manpower policy-making prowess to make a relevant contribution to the fight against piracy in Somalia. With almost 300,000 Filipino seafarers’ deployed onboard ocean-going vessels all over the world, representing more than one-fourth of the world’s seaborne manpower, the Philippines most certainly has the right to have a say in various issues affecting the global maritime industry. Leads me to ask, is the Philippines ready and up to the challenge of anti-piracy measures? What has been the effect of Piracy among our seafarers? What the government has to say about this? What are their measures to protect their own citizens? Might as well ask, what has the stand of the Philippines and its components to the present issue of piracy?
References:
** Sean Yoong. (2009) ‘Ship hijackings hit unprecedented high in 2008’. Associated Press.16 January 2009
**UNOSAT is UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme, implemented in co-operation with the European Organisation of High Energy Physics (CERN).
UNOSAT is a people-centred programme delivering satellite solutions to relief and development organisations within and outside the UN system to help make a difference in the life of communities exposed to poverty, hazards and risk, or affected by humanitarian and other crises.
** http://www.marinebuzz.com/2009/01/18/weekend-view-somali-pirate-attack-summary-map-for-2008-by-unosat/
** Xan Rice, Lee Glendinning. (2008) ‘Pirates anchor hijacked supertanker off Somalia coast’.
18 November 2008.
Ibid;
** Estrella Torres. (2008) ‘Pirates’ hijacking of oil tanker heightens shipping risks’. Business Mirror.
19 November2008
** Alberto, Thea. (2008) ‘DFA: Ship with all-Filipino crew hijacked off Somalia.’
** Estrella Torres. (2008) ‘Pirates’ hijacking of oil tanker heightens shipping risks’. Business Mirror.
19 November2008
**Amante, M.S.V. (2003). ‘RP still is the largest supplier of seafarers in the world.’ Philippine Daily Inquirer, Internet edition, 3 July.
** Xan Rice, Lee Glendinning. (2008) ‘Pirates take over oil tanker with British crew on board’.
17 November 2008. < http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/17/oil-tanker-pirates>
** http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29334&Cr=somalia&Cr1=piracy
** JJ Sutherland. U.S. Admiral: Ships Must Do More To Combat Piracy. http://www.npr.org
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