More Than Just Interesting...

It has been a while since I've had something to say, but with all the travelling and keeping up on the latest counter piracy news, it is time to rejoin the information fray.


Momentous news in many areas in the last few weeks, none more momentous than the reported "bringing to justice" of OBL - Osama Bin Laden to many.
The navy, albeit the US Navy through their highly skilled SEALS, has achieved something George Bush set out some years ago now. On hearing the news he called it a "momentous achievement."

OBL (source: BBC.co.uk)

President Barack Obama announced Bin Laden was killed following a 'firefight' in a ground operation 62 miles outside Islamabad, Pakistan, based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.
Following his death, OBL's body was taken by US forces, and breaking news stated that the body had been buried 'at sea'. How whether this affects a Muslim considering that in Afghanistan, dead Muslim are handed over to their family and friends for appropriate burial, as it is customary to bury the dead with 24 hours of death. Allied forces went to great pains to not offend in this manner, so the fate of OBL's body may become another standpoint issue for the remaining, dispirited followers. In the short-term, US, and other allied countries, will brace for possible revenge attacks, however, some commentators claim the Arab world may find it all rather irrelevant as they have their minds focused on the recent uprising.
Whilst the death of OBL may well strike at the "morale of the global jihad," says Roger Hardy in a BBC article, "it is unlikely to end it." Read more at BBC News. Incidentally, oil and stocks have reacted positively to the news. Now do the same for piracy and we could be on to an economic recovery, of sorts.


Now, back to piracy off Somalia. Let's try to keep this brief.
Somali pirates had a bit of a spring clear out of tankers over the last couple of months, making room for the next batch. They have returned to taking dhows traversing the region which have been used as motherships. The Indian Navy has made such inroads on capturing pirates (61 captured in one incident alone) that they have taken the step to renege on releasing crew following the payment of a ransom. Allegedly, it is in response to the holding, and killing, of their brothers by the Indians. The MV Asphalt Venture was released early April but 7 of the 15 crew were kept hostage. Yet another 'game-changer', amongst many. Yes, this does change the position for negotiating any future release of vessel and crew, but importantly, it changes the view of the insurance companies who have been quite happy to accept the increased premiums paid by the shipping industry for the relatively small payouts. If the ransom payment cannot guarantee their release then there will clearly be a reluctance to pay out. Where will that leave the seafarer? The Indian Seafarers Union held a series of marches in 8 cities across the country to protest against the scourge of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
There have been many rescue operations, mainly by non-EU and non-NATO countries, with varying degrees of success. The resultant deaths on the Beluga Nomination were a tragic consequence, but there has been successes (which I am sure you will have read about). Most recently, the Seychelles coastguard carried out a rescue only 1nm off Denis Island; claims that naval units closer to the coast of Somalia have enabled the rescue of a number of hostages on land have surfaced, but no one is claiming 'responsibility' for such successes. Odd in itself as it is an opportunity to declare to the pirates of the intention to stifle their operations. Even the Iranian navy foils pirate attacks, including a recent attack off the Pakistan coast.
A few of the recently released merchant vessels have limped away from their Somali anchorages with engine trouble of some sort or another, requiring them to be towed to a safe port (Mombasa in Kenya), so it is of concern that attacks are 'trending' off Mombasa over the last couple of weeks. There is a new dynamic - one that pleases some but alarms others - where a vessel was released following a ransom drop. The pirates were counting their ill-gotten gains for the hijack of Sinar Kudus (hijacked 46 days ago with 20 Indonesian crew) when they came under fire from Indonesian forces. 4 pirates were killed, but a spokesperson for the Indonesian military said “We thought there would be more tasked to collect the ransom. But we were wrong.” Jakarta Post. Now that is a game-changer. What will be the response? It may well be similar to the threats to Indian seafarers following the Indian Navy successes. Indeed, the shipping industry has called for greater action from governments to take more action, even at the cost of seafarer lives. It may affect future negotiations to a degree not yet seen. Whether it deters the pirates is doubtful. Replacements from the interior of Somalia are always ready to grab their piece of the pie to escape the humanitarian and religious insurgency problems.


Finally, Senator Mark Kirk visited the semi-autonomous region of Puntland recently. He spoke to the Puntland President Abdurrahman Mohamed Farole, and even met a famous pirate being held in prison on an 8-year sentence for piracy. Sen. Kirk is known for his hawkish stance on anti-piracy and was conducting a whirlwind tour of the region as part of the review of NATO and US efforts. Sen. Kirk was the man who took the Illinois seat vacated when President Obama was elected, and has served in many theatres including Afghanistan and Kosovo See Somalia Report.


So, it is more than just interesting to see one global menace be negated, when will the menace of piracy off Somali be negated? Hopefully, it does not take as long as it did in OBLs case. Either way, 'GO NAVY!'