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Tackling Somali piracy

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Abstract

The last couple of years has seen a revival of maritime piracy. It spread from the coast of Somalia to nearby waters and further. Somali pirates captured dozens of ships and their crew and demanded large sums of ransom. This in turn has triggered the international community to send an international fleet of marine flotillas to protect the international shipping trade. Furthermore, international shipping companies took target hardening measures through barricading ships and giving the crew access to weapons. Still, piracy attacks are escalating even as we speak. Since stepping up repressive measures does not seem to have solved the problem, the question arises of what other options are available to prevent piracy. Situational crime prevention might not seem the most obvious tool in this case, but it is worth considering. By using the vocabulary of situational crime prevention, a neutral analysis of the situation can be applied and may help to identify possible ways to counter piracy. E.g., we are not interested in the motives of the pirates, but ways to make it unattractive for them to attack passing ships. When we consider that the Somali government is absent because of internal chaos, it becomes obvious that other forms of guardianship must be introduced.

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Notes

  1. A three-judge section found the accused guilty in the first instance of piracy, as stipulated in Article 381 of the Dutch Penal Code (WSr), and handed down a five-year non-suspended sentence. Two of the five convicted initiated appeal proceedings. This was the first time that Article 381 WSr had been applied. The Article runs: “A person […] who enters into service or is serving as a master on a vessel, knowing that it is intended for or using it for the commission of acts of violence against other vessels on the high seas or against persons or property on board these, without being so authorized by a Power engaged in warfare or without being part of the war navy of a recognized Power is guilty of piracy […]; [A person] who, aware of such purpose or use, enters into service as a crew member on such a vessel, or voluntarily continues his employment after becoming aware of such purpose or use, is guilty of piracy […].”

  2. www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,763063,00.html

  3. Interview with Cyrus Mody, manager of the International Maritime Bureau, 14 September 2009

  4. “Traffic Statistics 2009”, Suez Canal Authority, 15 January 2010, http://suezcanal.gov.eg.

  5. “Chemical shippers urge action over Somalia piracy”, ICIS News, 19 September 2008.

  6. Xan Rice, Lee Glendinning, “Pirates anchor hijacked supertanker off Somalia Coast”, guardian.co.uk, 18 November 2008, http://guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/18/somalia-oil

  7. Jane Novak, “Piracy and Yemen”, Armies of liberations, 11 June 2009, http://armiesofliberations.com/archives/2009/06/11/piracy-and-yemen

  8. Algemeen ambtsbericht Somalië [Country report on Somalia], maart 2010, www.minbuza.nl

  9. CIA-Factbook, www.cia-gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.hmtl?countryName=Somalia&countryCode=so&regionCode

  10. www.gulf-imes.com/site/topics/article.asp?ccu_no=2&item_no=296349&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21

  11. “Somali pirates flee with British hostages”, Guardian, 27 April 2010, www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/27/Somali-pirates-flee-british-hostages

  12. Sarah Childress, “Somali Militants Try Piracy to fund Attacks”, The Wall Street Journal, 12 September 2010, http://wardheernews.com/News_10/sept/12_militants_try_pirates_ to_fund_attacks.html

  13. International Expert Group on Piracy off the Somali Coast. “Piracy off the Somali Coast”, 10–21 November 2008, p. 18 and 19, http://www.asil.org/files/SomaliaPiracyIntEpertsreportconsolidated1.pdf.

  14. Steven Askins, Partner, Ince & Co., “The Right to Resist & Other Legal Issues”, Maritime Security Conference, Athens, 14–15 October 2009.

  15. “’Los zeeroverij op aan land’” [Solution to maritime piracy lies on land], NRC Handelsblad, 22 November 2008.

  16. “Economic Impact of Piracy in the Gulf of Aden on Global Trade”, US Department of Transportation, on www.marad.dot.gov/documents.

  17. Liam Morrissey, BGN Risk, “Risk Management for Maritime Security: Steering a sensible course”, Maritime Security Conference, Athens, 14–15 October 2009

  18. Salem Badawood, Yemen: “Pirates threatening lives and livelihoods”, Irin, Humanitarian News andAnalysis, 18 February 2009, www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82289.

  19. Algemeen ambtsbericht Somalië [Country report on Somalia], March 2010, Consular Affairs and Migration Policy Department, Asylum, Resettlement and Return Division, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, p.16, http://www.minbuza.nl/dresource?objectid=buzabeheer:206369&type=org

  20. Abdi Sheikh, “Rough seas could cut pirate attacks off Somalia”, Reuters, 25 April 2009, www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LL260337.htm.

  21. Interview with a Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Commander at the NATO Allied Maritime Command Headquarters Northwood (UK), 14 October 2009.

  22. Sarah Childress, “Somali Militants Try Piracy to fund Attacks”, The Wall Street Journal, 12 September 2010, http://wardheernews.com/News_10/sept/12_militants_try_pirates_ to_fund_attacks.html

  23. IMO, Best management practices to deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, www.Marisec.org/piracy-gulf-of-aden-indian-ocean-industry-best-management-practice, February 2009.

  24. “This is London – the capital of Somali pirates' secret intelligence operation”, The Guardian, 11 May 2009.

  25. Presentation by a former EU Naval Force Commander with NAVFOR, Maritime Security Conference, Athens, 14–15 October 2009.

  26. Information from a Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy’s Intelligence Department, Northwood Headquarters (UK), 2 June 2009.

  27. Roger Middleton, Trends in Piracy: A Global Problem with Somalia at the Core

    Roger Middleton http://counterpiracy.ae/briefing_papers/Middleton

  28. “Kaping Oekraïens schip Faina voorbij [Hijacking of Ukrainian ship Faina ended]”, De Morgen, 5 February 2009.

  29. “Elke dag werden we met de dood bedreigd [Every day our life was in the balance]”, De Gazet van Antwerpen, 7 July 2009.

  30. www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-16-voa47.cfm.

  31. Amos Kareithi, “Piracy Money Finds Home In Kenya”, The Standard, Nairobi, Kenya, 27 May 2009.

  32. “Pirates: the $80 m Gulf Connection”, The Independent, 21 April 2009.

  33. “Young Somalis lured by piracy’s riches”, MSNBC, 8 April 2009.

  34. “U.S. Warships and Piracy Suspects Exchange Gunfire”, The New York Times, 19 March 2006

  35. “Zeerovers voor de Rotterdamse rechter [Maritime pirates brought to trial in The Hague]”, NRC Handelsblad, 26 May 2010.

  36. S/RES/1851 (December 2008).

  37. S/RES/1676 (May 2006).

  38. S/RES/1772 (August 2007), S/RES/1801 (February 2008), S/RES/1814 (May 2008), S/RES/1816 (June 2008), S/RES/1838 (October 2008) S/RES/1846 (December 2008), S/RES/1851 (December 2008), S/RES/1853 (December 2008), S/RES/1863 (January 2009), S/RES/1872 (May 2009).

  39. S/RES/1851 (2008)

  40. Yemen initiated the construction of Global Maritime Distress Service Stations and, together with Italy, set up a Vessel Tracking System to improve patrolling capacity. In June 2009 it was announced that a consortium of Arab countries was in the process of developing a maritime anti-piracy unit.

  41. SHADE is a consultative body involving a large number of countries with interests at sea, including the members of NATO, China and Russia. These countries exchange information at the tactical level with a view to combating piracy in the most effective manner possible.

  42. Kees Homan and Suzanne Kamerling, “Piraterij vaart wel bij Somalisch Vacuum: bestrijdings netwerk in de maak [Plain sailing for piracy due to Somali vacuum. Counter-piracy network underway]”, International Spectator, issue 63, no. 9, p. 457, September 2009, http://www.internationalespectator.nl/2009/20090900_is_art_homan.pdf.

  43. Peter Lehr, Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, in his presentation “Identifying the threats of violence against shipping: today and tomorrow”, Security Conference 2009, Athens, 14–15 October 2009.

  44. Presentation by a former EU Naval Force Commander with NAVFOR, Maritime Security Conference, Athens, 14–15 October 2009.

  45. Reuters, “Anti-piracy conference backs off on international naval force”, France 24 International News, 19 May 2009, www.france24.com/en/20090519-anti-piracy-body-backs-off-international-naval-force-un-somalia

  46. “Molotov cocktails used to fend off pirate attack on Chinese ship”, Mirror, 19 December 2008.

  47. “Romantisch? Dit is het ware gezicht van piraterij [Romantic? This is the true face of piracy]”, NRC Handelsblad, 20 April 2006.

  48. “Mariniers voorkomen kaping Franse schepen [Marines avert hijacking of French ships]”, NRC Handelsblad, 12 October 2009.

  49. Interview with the Belgian Armed Forces' Naval Component.

  50. “Blackwater: We’ll defend against pirates”, Navy Times, 19 October 2008.

  51. Interview with a representative of the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, 23 June 2009 .

  52. Interview with a representative of the Dutch Association of Shipmasters, 10 July 2009.

  53. “De harde oorlog tegen piraterij [The hard war against piracy]”, De Tijd, 25 April 2009.

  54. IMB, Annual Report 2007, pp. 81–89, Annual Report 2008, pp. 73–85, and Annual Report 2009, pp. 76–103.

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  1. Research Division, The Dutch National Police Agency, P.O. Box 11, 3970 AA, Driebergen, The Netherlands

    Henk Rengelink

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Correspondence to Henk Rengelink.

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The views expressed herein are solely those of the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Dutch National Police Agency.

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Rengelink, H. Tackling Somali piracy. Trends Organ Crim 15, 180–197 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-012-9171-3

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