PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN … NAY ADEN

- Dummies guide to the eradication of Piracy in Somalian Waters

 

Firstly, my apologies to the Yemenis for using the name ADen. It is short for Gulf of Aden and not meant to imply that Yemen rather than Somalia is the origin of Piracy in the region ! Actually the real reason is that Aden simply rhymed better with Caribbean than say  Mogadishu or Eyl and that’s that.

As a former sailor (actually my First Officer license is valid till Dec 2010) I feel a bit more strongly about the problems of piracy and the associated inaction by the authorities that say some of  the other people I know for I share more that a passing interest in the woes of the captures sailors. Another day, another time, it could have been me, and that somehow puts things in a perspective that cannot be matched.

Add to that the fact that my anti-piracy training involved the following (Mind you, I am a certified Ship Security Officer too !)

• Put on lights and show the pirates you are alert (great!)
• Sound alarm (wow!)
• Alter course (brilliant move)
• Press a distress button that wakes up someone a million miles away (sure bet to save your life)
• Use fire hoses to deter the pirates.

Now this last point I HAVE to comment on. We all saw the movie Black Hawk Down and thought to ourselves “thank god we weren’t there … these guys are mean!”

and suddenly faced with pirates of the same nationality, I am given a fire hose to fight. Quite a match actually the fire hose against the Kalashnikov.

KALASHNIKOV (AK 47)	FIRE HOSE (Standard)	Who wins and why ?
Carries 30 bullets	Unlimited supply of water	FIRE HOSE :Can fight longer
Weighs 4.3 kgs	Not sure, but lighter	FIRE HOSE: Better for light combat
Length : 34”	Varies can be 15 mtrs or more	FIRE HOSE: Better fighting range
Rate of fire: 600 rounds/min	Hmmmm	AK : More fire power
COOL factor: Great	Not bad: See the movie about fire fighters post 9/11 ? I can’t remember the name	TIE

 

So I am sure you can see that in real combat, I for one personally would choose a fire hose over an AK 47 any given day, but some of my more conservative colleagues at sea do not share my enthusiasm. Can you believe that? You get armed with the best quality fire hoses with brass fitting et all and you STILL are worried about pirates ?? tch tch tch

 

 

WHOSE PROBLEM IS IT ANYWAY?

 

Again, borrowed from a popular comedy show, so my apologies … again.

Well the entire rot stems from the fact that its been a good couple of decades since there was a decent government in Somalia. There was one a long time ago, infact even elected by the people, but another country; a champion of the free world and protector of democracy somehow thought that the mandate of the Somalis  was not a valid one. That is a discussion for another day and we shall leave it at that.

The Suez canal is the most important trade route for ships from all over Asia to get to Europe and the Black Sea. One look at the map, and a comparative analysis of a route via Suez and one around South Africa would be enough for the layman to understand why this route is so important.

I am not a man given to statistics, but I can comfortably say that most of Europe’s trade with Asia comes through this channel and that is why I found it preposterous to read somewhere that keeping NATO warships there was too “expensive”. I am guessing that maintaining that Navy is not really expensive, but to ask those ships do a job they are best equipped at doing IS!

 

WHERE DO WE GO NOW ?

Apologies Guns and Roses ….

It does not require the mathematical capabilities of Ramanujam to put this two and two together. It is the responsibility of leading Navies from Asia (India, among others), NATO and Russia to get together under the aegis of the UN to have joint patrolling of the region. Countries that do not have the naval power in the region can provide logistical help.

The mission cannot simply be to SCARE them away. If THAT was the intention, we would not be sending commandos in choppers, but Riot police in speed boats!! The aim should be to engage and destroy. Simple.

I think it is impossible to launch rescue missions in Somali waters without collateral damage, so the idea should be to prevent the high jacking at first place.

 

The way out is not simple and call for firm action :

 

* Get existing ships released. Pay ransom if required. (Don’t fret, I by point 4 you will understand why)

* Enhanced patrolling around Somali waters coordinated by the UN and with participation of ALL navies whose cargoes go through those waters (else, no protection for their ships)
* Mandate to involve engaging and killing all suspect pirates (not just shoo away)
* THEN launch large scale ops to destroy any and all boats in the harbours of the pirate towns (no boat, no piracy) coupled with air attacks on their towns.
  (you hit us, we hit you)

The last point is not simple war rhetoric. See below a BBC article which shows how open the industry is in Puntland.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7623329.stm

 

There is a language these people understand and that is not diplomacy. With the highjack of Sirius Star, the piracy has acquired ‘Blue water capability’ which will be the envy of many a navy around the globe! For those who are wondering what a Blue water navy is, Wikipedia comes to the rescue- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-water_navy

 

So its time to tighten up the garter belts and take this menace head on. Don’t subject poor sailors to a war they did not sign up for. We spend billions on Star wars and futuristic weapons, surely a few million to secure the lives of some of the most forgotten workers of the world economy will be “good karma” for everybody.

 

Comments

[Vinod]

I just read today that the Indian Navy destroyed a pirate ship
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7736885.stm
Looks like my advice has found its intended recipients !!

However, one piece of advise I read really cracked me up "One solution may be unarmed security teams. Using water hoses to batter attacking pirates has worked in the past - even greasing guardrails so pirates can't climb them can be successful, such firms say."
See http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bspeedboats-v-warshipsb/2008/11/19/1226770532255.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

So now we will STILL have pirates coming onboard, but only the will be drenched, with greasy hands and EXTREMELY cheesed off. My sympathies are with the crew