This month Somali pirates freed the VLCC Sirius Star whose capture two months ago drew the world’s attention to the surge in piracy off the Horn of Africa.

Pirates have been increasingly active in the waters off Somalia where more than 120 ships were attacked in 2008 and over 300 sailors were, and still are, being kept hostage. The average ransom the pirates demand is U$1.8 million per vessel, and 60 days is the average amount of time spent in captivity.
In December the UN Security Council adopted a resolution authorising countries and multinational organisations involved in tackling piracy to “undertake all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace” to prevent “acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.”

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Shipping Federation (ISF) have reiterated their concerns over the use of private sector armed guards on merchant ships.They report a growth in the number of “so-called private military companies” offering guards (armed and unarmed) to ride on board ships to protect them from pirates but say such security guards are unregulated, and in any event the use of weapons on board many merchant ships with hazardous cargoes is simply “not appropriate;” that this “might be regarded as an effective deterrent by some shipowners, but on the other hand it might only aggravate the situation” and that “such action could also create considerable problems for marine underwriters and P&I clubs and lead to a legal minefield.”

ICS and ISF have welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1846.
Major powers have been debating a long-term solution to the hijackings and since the seizure of the Saudi supertanker, global navies have been rushing to protect one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. Yet the scourge continues.

But as Paul Moorcraft of the Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis pointed out recently on 567 Cape Talk radio, although opinion is that land bases need to be targeted, the political will is lacking.
A new development is the establishment of a counter-piracy task force by the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) which is represented by naval ships and assets from more than 20 nations, amongst them the USA, Belgium, France, Greece, Liberia, and South Korea. More recently China sent three vessels to the region with 1000 crew, amongst them a highly trained special forces unit. Such a mission from China’s navy comes nearly 600 years after the “Treasure Ships” of Admiral Zheng who visited Africa during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when the Chinese navy ruled the known seas of the world, that country’s state press have said.

Up until now the CMF has been abiding by the charter established at the outset of Operation Enduring Freedom, for the conduct of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Operations included the deterrence of destabilising activities, such as drug smuggling and weapons trafficking.

However the establishment of CTF-151 is specifically for counter-piracy operations and will allow CTF-150 assets to remain focused on those activities.
Meanwhile some of the world’s big shipping firms have quietly diverted their fleets via South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope instead of risking Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden said Rob Lomas secretary general of Intercargo, an industry group representing ship owners hauling dry commodities. He said “more firms were avoiding Suez -- an extraordinary move in peace time,” and was careful to point out, however, that there was no stampede by operators for the Cape and that international seaborne trade would always get through somehow.
The pirates are beginning to feel the pressure. Some have been killed or drowned and some have been caught and handed over to the authorities. But just how a bunch of Somali pirates have managed to hijack the world’s biggest supertankers and hold the world to ransom, remains an interesting question?
It is a complex situation that will not be easily resolved.

Other news in this issue is the arrival of the nuclear-powered Russian missile cruiser, Pyotr Velikhiy in the port of Cape Town. This was something of a surprise considering that earlier reports were that the vessel wasn’t going to be allowed in the bay, and even more so when the media were invited by the South African Navy to take a closer look. Rear Admiral Rusty Higgs of the South African Navy referred to the visit as a “historic and strategic” occasion and made the point that the “magnificent state of the ship is acknowledged by the South African Navy.”

To conclude, I draw the attention of the bunkering industry to the report on the IBIA conference which was not attended by many South African companies even though it was held in Cape Town. Also there is an interesting review of shipping activities in Namibia where business is booming. Don’t let your bottom line be, “you snooze you loose!”

 

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