They once terrorized hundreds of ships from different countries, but were powerless in the face of a coordinated response.
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Pirate on the coast of Somalia. Photo by The New Yorker
The Somali Pirates are perhaps the most famous part modern history Somalia, dating back to the times Cold War. From 2005 to 2012, pirates hijacked dozens of ships and ransomed them for millions of dollars as the UN and NATO tried in vain to stop the threat. The organizations were hampered by too high costs and bureaucratic formalities, which, according to some sources, the detachment of professional mercenaries did not have.
Reasons for piracy
In 1961, Somalia's Prime Minister Abdirashid Ali Sharmaarke (Cabdirashiid Cali Sharmaarke) signed a friendly treaty between the two states that included military support. At that time, Somalia had just broken off relations with Great Britain and needed a new and influential ally.
Soon, the USSR established arms supplies to Somalia, investing about $50 million in the development of the country’s military sphere in just a year. It was a lucrative offer - Soviet Union needed an ally North Africa as opposed to Somalia's neighbor Ethiopia. She was allied with the USA.
In 1977 the situation changed dramatically. The well-armed Somali army attacked Ethiopia, dragging the USSR into the war. However, the Soviet authorities did not support the actions of Somalia and went over to the side of Ethiopia.
With the support of the USSR, the country knocked out the attackers from its territory, causing serious damage to the Somali army. Against the backdrop of military defeat, a Civil War and began to flare up thanks to the thefts of weapons from Soviet warehouses. Faction fighting destroyed Somalia's social, economic and political infrastructure, and by 1991, rebels overthrew President Maxamed Siyaad Barre.
Without a centralized government, the country plunged into chaos: leaders of various factions seized power in the regions and proclaimed themselves sole rulers, and the country's citizens lost all political power. Many fled to neighboring states, but most of the population had nowhere to go.
Selling tuna in Somalia. Adeso Photos
Somalia is located near the Arabian Sea in northeast Africa, and most of the locals' income came from selling tuna, shrimp and lobster to local shops.
With the outbreak of the war, the government did not have money to create a border service, which poachers took advantage of. They caught fish and seafood en masse and supplied Italian mafia, earning up to $300 million a year. At the same time, foreign ships were dumping chemicals into coastal waters, and overnight the fish population dropped.
This caused harm not only to poachers, but also to fishermen who lost their regular income. They needed a new source of income, and the ships passing by Somalia caught people's attention. About 9 thousand ships from Asia, India, Europe and the UAE transported expensive goods and oil every month. Often the ships were operated by ordinary sailors, and there were no guards on board.
At least a few successful attacks on European ships could provide for half of the Somali residents for the rest of their lives.
Attack tactics and damage
Rare pirate attacks on ships near Somalia occurred in the 1980s, but in the early 2000s, the mafia, fishermen and military came together and began planning seriously. The pirates armed themselves with Kalashnikov assault rifles and grenade launchers from Soviet warehouses, purchased walkie-talkies and GPS navigators, and then purchased wooden boats with outboard motors. The ships moved at speeds of up to 46 kilometers per hour, and this was enough to catch up with large ships.
Photo by East News
The pirates chose the most big ship of the hundreds that sail past the coast of Somalia every day. Then they armed themselves, got into the boats and walked towards the desired ship. Having caught up with the ship, they fired at it and aimed at the captain's cabin. When the crew noticed the attack, the pirates showed them a grenade launcher, hinting that they would use it if the ship did not stop.
If the ship slowed down, the pirates climbed the ladder onto the deck, gathered the crew in one place and sailed away on the ship to their own bays. For this stage of the operation, the pirates hired former military personnel. The fishermen acted exclusively as an attacking group, and therefore their capture percentage was much lower than that of the clan leaders and owners of boats sponsoring the attacks.
Out of an average ransom of $2.7 million, the sailor received between $30,000 and $75,000. The average annual income in Somalia was $300, and it was rare that a fisherman refused to participate in pirate raids.
In 2004, about 640 thousand people in Somalia were hungry and in need of food. social support. UN ships loaded with food into the country, but some of them were intercepted by pirates and demanded ransom. The organization did not return the cargo.
Usually the attackers did not touch the hostages, although they kept them in poor conditions, often forcing them to starve. Thanks to this, the first few years after the attacks the developed countries did not show much interest in pirates. This led to the expansion of the boundaries of pirate activity and confidence in their own impunity.
However, the relatively calm state of affairs did not last long. In 2007, pirates shot and killed a Chinese hostage after the ship's owner refused to communicate with the captors. In October of the same year, pirates hijacked a Japanese tanker, after which the United States sent cruisers to suppress pirate activity. The efforts of the American fleet were not enough: on October 29, pirates seized a North Korean cargo ship and ordered a ransom of 15 thousand dollars. Later, the ship was still supported by a US helicopter, which regularly patrolled the area and helped the ships.
Following these attacks, the UN adopted a resolution to combat piracy in 2008. To protect ships participating in the charity program for the supply of food and vital resources, the European Union, Chile and Colombia have formed a protective fleet. He escorted ships and repelled any attacks, but did not protect commercial ships. In 2010, the UN built a prison for pirates for 500 people in the Puntland region of Somalia, which has become the unofficial capital of pirates.
In 2008, pirates carried out 42 successful hijacks and earned $80 million in ransoms. In the same year, the Russian fleet encountered pirates for the first time, and together with English cruisers killed eight of the 12 attackers. After this, Russia announced its entry into the fight against piracy and became a member of the largest maritime coalition in modern history. By 2016, it included 21 countries.
Pirates hijacked 46 ships in 2009 and 47 in 2010, earning an estimated $238 million.
In total, from 2008 to 2012, pirates hijacked 170 ships with 3,400 crew members. Of these, 25 sailors were killed, and another 37 died of starvation or committed suicide.
On March 14, 2017, Somali authorities said pirates had hijacked a UAE oil tanker with eight people on board. The Puntland government sent a force to recapture the ship. March 15, 2017 pirates ransom, the amount of which is unknown.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, ships from 62 countries have been subject to pirate attacks. More than a hundred groups are engaged in maritime robbery. Why can't they still be defeated?
What kind of phenomenon are pirates in the 21st century? Why did the state of Somalia become the base of modern pirates? Renat Irikovich Bekkin, a senior researcher at the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a lecturer at MGIMO (U) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, tells the story. He recently returned from a scientific trip to Somalia.
- Why did pirates of the 21st century choose Somalia?
In fact, international maritime robbery today does not only occur off the coast of Somalia. Gentlemen of fortune from Southeast Asia, unlike their Somali counterparts, are distinguished by extreme cruelty. Somalis, compared to the pirates “working” in the Strait of Malacca, are harmless sheep, noble knights. And in Indonesian territorial waters, professional gangs engage in piracy. Separatist partisans, as well as sailors and fishermen who have lost their jobs, do not disdain piracy. Pirates are actively involved in smuggling activities.
But there are many poor countries in the world. In the same Africa. Why did piracy become widespread in Somalia? After all, since the beginning of the year, more than 30 sea vessels have been captured by Somali pirates. Are there any historical reasons for the spread of piracy in Somalia?
We can talk more about geographical than historical prerequisites. Ships traveling from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and back, through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, cannot pass the Gulf of Aden and are a tasty morsel for lanky, dark-skinned gentlemen from Somalia. The route from Europe to South and East Asia and Australia runs through the Gulf of Aden. The aforementioned Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia, one of the busiest sea routes, opens up no less opportunities for pirates. And the numerous islands scattered in the inland seas of Indonesia are a paradise for pirate bases. And in Africa, Somalia is far from the only place where pirates operate. Among the places of their greatest activity, I would highlight the coast of Nigeria and the south of the continent.
- What makes people become pirates? Who is he, a typical Somali pirate?
Whatever we may say about the romance of pirates, poverty is at the heart of piracy. Let's not forget that most of the time single state Somalia is dominated by leaders of various clans and tribes.
UN employees complain: they send a cargo of humanitarian aid to Somalia, but before it reaches its destination, it is intercepted by representatives of other clans that were left deprived of food distribution.
Most Somali pirates are young men with no means of finding Good work. For them, piracy is shrouded in an aura of romance. Opportunity to get involved interesting adventure and at the same time earning huge money, comparable to the pre-crisis Christmas bonuses of top managers from Wall Street, pushes young people into the ranks of gentlemen of fortune. According to the information I have, there are no people from Somaliland among the pirates - de facto independent state in the north of the Somali Peninsula. Somaliland has lived in peace and relative prosperity compared to other parts of the once unified state of Somalia since 1991, and therefore the pirate profession is not very popular here. Most of the pirates come from the Majertan and Hawiye clans, from Puntland, a buffer quasi-state in the northeast of the Somali Peninsula.
Somali pirates try not to shed the blood of captured crews and treat them humanely. And this despite the fact that the low level of medical care has taught people to be calm about the prospect of their own premature death or the death of loved ones. By the way, as one of the justifications for piracy, the Somalis cite the following argument: foreign ships use the territorial waters of Somalia free of charge, and the people do not receive anything from this. As for the ship "Faina", according to information leaked to the media, it was transporting weapons intended for rebels in South Sudan, that is, it grossly violated the norms international law. If this information is confirmed, then we can say that some criminals captured others.
- What about the Caribbean Sea, which is familiar to Hollywood fans?
The Caribbean Sea, as well as the entire American continent, according to the well-known Monroe Doctrine, is a zone of strategic interests of the United States. Therefore, the large-scale pirate industry in this area does not have a chance to exist. Although some pirate attacks also take place off the coast of South America.
The picture of the capture of the ship "Faina" amazes the modern TV viewer. Somali pirates on boats and fragile boats board a huge ship, the side of which is 6-8 meters larger than the entire flotilla of gentlemen of fortune. “Faina” could have accelerated, and the pirates would not have had a single chance to stop her, why didn’t this happen? What latest pirate technologies do the filibusters from Somalia have?
When I traveled around Somalia, I met people who could very well be pirates. In ordinary life they can be peaceful citizens, have a peaceful profession, and in free time engage in piracy. Somalis are an amazing people, I have never met such positive-minded people. The man has nothing but a ramshackle house made of wicker twigs and a dollar a day for food, but he beams with a smile. Skeptics say that the reason for this is khat, a narcotic herb that Somalis chew everywhere. Chew this khat and your soul will feel cheerful and carefree. But seriously, pirates are certainly given confidence by the fact that the crews of the ships they capture, as a rule, do not offer them any resistance. Because sea robbers act with lightning speed. They unexpectedly attack the ship and actively fire at it with grenade launchers and machine guns. But even in those cases when it is possible to neutralize the pirates, they are soon released. (Many experts believe that representatives of local authorities and the police cover up for pirates, because they share their loot with them. - Ed.)
There is a special attitude towards Russians in Somalia. In the 70-80s. in Somalia they built a local model of socialism, and good relations were built between our countries. Especially before the Somali-Ethiopian war of 1977, where the Soviet Union had to take the side of Ethiopia. Many Somalis studied in the USSR. I met them during my trip to Somalia. This, without any exaggeration, is a white bone, a layer of the most educated people in the country.
In July of this year, the UN adopted a document allowing the navy of a third country to enter the territorial waters of Somalia and suppress the activities of pirates. Is there now a force capable of bringing order to Somalia and putting an end to piracy?
As recent events have shown, the Somali Sharia Courts Union has proven its ability to restore order and curb crime. But as soon as they managed to strengthen themselves and begin to unify southern Somalia, the United States intervened in the situation and, through the hands of Ethiopia, prevented the unification process in the country. The US interest is to prevent the creation of a unified and strong Islamic state in Somalia. Ethiopia is also not interested in reviving Somali statehood. After the death of more than 130 UN peacekeepers and the loss of about $3 billion in 1993 during Operation Restore Hope, the world community has no desire to get involved in squabbles between clans.
On October 1, the ambassador of the virtually non-existent state of Somalia announced that the Somali government would soon recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia. How do you assess this step?
From a tactical point of view, perhaps this is a good move, but from a strategic point of view, it is utter stupidity. The motives of the Somali leadership are clear. It is making this gesture of goodwill in the hope of receiving support from Moscow. If Somalia recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, then the United States will have no reason not to recognize Somaliland, where the Americans have certain interests. And then it will be possible to put a big fat cross on the unity of Somalia.
* At the time of signing the issue, we did not have new information about the fate of the Faina and the crew.
Pirate hijackings in the 21st century
According to the International Center for Combating Piracy, beginning of the XXI century, ships from 62 countries* were attacked in the coastal seas of 56 countries. More than a hundred groups are engaged in maritime robbery.According to the classification of the International Maritime Organization, modern pirate groups are divided into three types:
1. Small groups (up to 5 people), armed with knives and pistols. They attack ships in a harbor or on the high seas, using the element of surprise. They rob the ship's cash register and passengers, and offload some of the cargo onto their boats. The total number is from 8-10 thousand people around the world.
2. Gangs (up to 30 people), armed with heavy machine guns, machine guns and grenade launchers, often kill the crew of a captured ship and take the ship and cargo. The total number is about 300 thousand people around the world.
3. International organized groups seize ships with particularly valuable cargo (today it is oil and petroleum products). They have modern satellite navigation and communications equipment, an intelligence network, cover in power structures. Most often, tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships are robbed. Sometimes private yachts are attacked. In 2001, a scandal occurred - pirates in the Amazon killed America's Cup winner, yachtsman Peter Blake. Experts believe that pirate syndicates have organized a network of stolen ships maritime transport with a turnover of about $5 billion per year.
The geography of the activities of pirates of the 21st century is the coastal waters of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Main attack areas:
1. Southeast Asia and the South China Sea (Strait of Malacca, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand).
2. West Africa (Nigeria, Senegal, Angola, Ghana), Indian Ocean, East Africa (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Somalia, Tanzania).
3. South America and the Caribbean (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guyana).
The most “popular” place for attacks is the coastal waters of Indonesia.
The annual damage from piracy around the world is $40 billion.
Based on the annual reports of the International Maritime Bureau:
In 2000, there were 469 pirate attacks on ships worldwide
in 2001 - 344
in 2002 - 370
in 2003 - 344
in 2004 - 329
in 2005 - 276
in 2006 - 239
in 2007 - 263
Statistics on Russian ships are distorted, since 60% of ships sail under the flags of other countries of the world, that is, they are simply rented out together with a Russian crew.
* This figure is not final, as many shipowners are afraid to report pirate attacks to the police, fearing retaliation from criminals, corrupt officials and police in coastal countries.
Latest tragedies at sea
The cargo ship "Captain Uskov" under the flag of Cambodia left the Russian port of Nakhodka for Hong Kong on January 15, 2008, but did not arrive at the destination port. The ship's crew consisted of 17 Russians, including 22-year-old barmaid Ekaterina Zakharova, who was on her first voyage. There were 4.5 thousand tons of metal on board the ship. The International Center for Combating Piracy joined the search for the ship and crew, which distributed information with its description throughout the world. Even if the ship has been repainted, its name and flag changed, it can be recognized by its individual characteristics. Hopes for success are low.On February 1, 2008, off the coast of Somalia, pirates captured the icebreaking tugboat Switzer Korsakov, which was sailing from St. Petersburg to Sakhalin under the flag of the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The team consists of one Englishman, one Irishman, and four Russian citizens. The kidnappers received a ransom of 700 thousand dollars for the ship and crew. It was paid by the Switzer Weissmuller company, which owns the tug. Negotiations with pirates were conducted from February 1 to March 18, 2008.
How to fight
On November 16, 1994, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted, according to which all states must cooperate to the fullest extent possible in the suppression of piracy on the high seas or any other place beyond the jurisdiction of any country.In 1991, the International Chamber of Commerce established an Anti-Piracy Center in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
In California (USA) there is a training center for training specialists in the fight against sea robbers. He trains anti-piracy units for the navies of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
The Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation, approved by President Putin on July 21, 2001, notes: “Intensifying cooperation with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region to ensure maritime safety and combat piracy” is one of the areas of state activity.
At a plenary meeting of the State Duma on October 1, 2008, the chamber approved a protocol instruction to the Security Committee to request information from the relevant ministries and departments “on measures taken to solve the problem of international piracy, ensuring the security of international trade routes, including jointly with other members of the international community.” .
On September 23, 2008, Russia sent the destroyer Neustrashimy from the Baltic Sea to the coastal waters of Somalia. The Statement of the Russian Navy Command states that this was done “in response to the increasing incidence of piracy in the region, the victims of which are also Russian citizens.” Neustrashimy is not yet taking active steps, as negotiations are ongoing with pirates.
There were victories...
In 2005, the cruise ship Seaborne Spirit was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. They appeared unexpectedly speedboats, armed with machine guns and grenade launchers, and fired at the ship.The witty captain used an unconventional means of fighting - an acoustic cannon. She stunned the pirates. The ship managed to move to a safe distance.
In May 2006, a real naval battle took place off the coast of Somalia: pirates opened fire on US Navy warships. The guided-missile cruiser Cape St. George and the guided-missile destroyer Gonzales responded with salvos of missile launchers. As a result of the special operation, 12 pirates were detained, including 5 wounded. The impudence of the filibusters who entered into battle with modern warships is amazing.
Pirates in our time are not a myth or fiction - they are reality. Just a few years ago, off the coast of Somalia, pirates hijacked about 300 ships a year and were behind each hijacking. great tragedies and human lives. Many gave in to the pirates in advance, not even believing that they could be resisted, let alone the amount of ransoms, which the pirates had to pay for their release, my head was spinning!
Who?
Somali pirates are armed groups that hijack ships off the coast of Somalia for ransom. Somali pirates are mostly young people 18-35 years old. Puntland is a self-proclaimed Somali autonomy this moment is a center of piracy, it is controlled by local clans and practically no laws exist in it.
There are several types of pirate gangs, which include about 1,000 armed militants. Pirates are divided into several categories:
- Local fishermen who have become involved in piracy are well aware of sea conditions.
- Former soldiers who took part in Somalia's internal wars as part of local clans with excellent combat experience.
- Experts who know how to work with technology, especially GPS equipment.
Where?
The region near the coasts of Somalia and Kenya, as well as the Gulf of Aden, known as “Pirate Alley”, is the most dangerous place in the world, with more than 111 incidents of pirate attacks... The Suez Canal route, through the Gulf of Aden, is the main route for ships. , heading from Asia to Europe and the East Coast of the USA. These shipping routes are responsible for 1/10 of world trade. The area is one of the world's most important shipping lanes, home to oil tankers and other merchant ships carrying billions of dollars' worth of cargo. Up to 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden per year, up to 250 per day. There is a lot of loot for pirates, much more than the pirates themselves! Almost all of the attacks that have occurred have occurred on vessels associated with the oil industry.
Why is piracy rampant in Somalia?
The reason for piracy is painfully simple - young people do not know how to make money and are looking for easy prey. Lawless chaos ensued in Somalia as US forces helped oust Islamist rulers over fears the country would become a haven for terrorists. As a result of the chaos in the country, more than 1 million people have lost their homes, and more than a third of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance. This alarming situation has also spread to the sea shipping routes passing near the country. Somali residents themselves believe that piracy began in response to illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic and nuclear waste by Western ships off the coast of Somalia. The Somalis themselves believe that it was these actions of foreign courts that led to problems. Residents felt water pollution, poverty throughout the country, fishermen became pirates, hunting ships from those countries that dumped waste and caught fish off their shores.
How do pirates operate?
Pirates travel on small ships - speedboats, motor boats, fishing boats. The weapons used are automatic weapons and grenade launchers. Somali pirates have very high-quality training and good equipment; they use satellite phones and GPS navigators to track ships. Regional field commanders sometimes turn a blind eye to pirate activity, and some take part in it themselves with great pleasure. Technically, the process of capturing ships has not changed much since the days of Captain Blood. A fast craft with heavily armed pirates on board comes close to a peaceful merchant or fishing vessel and boards it. Pirates board in a variety of ways depending on the size of the vessel being attacked. If the ship is small or low-slung (for example, a tanker), you can simply jump on board; ropes with hooks or special anchors are also used. When attacked, the pirates fire at the ship with machine guns and grenade launchers, and the crew of the ship tries to shoot down the pirates with water from fire hoses.
On average, a pirate attack lasts 10-20 minutes. During this time, either the capture is successful or the pirates stop the attack. As soon as the pirates climb onto the ship, it is already in their hands - as a rule, no one goes bare-chested to machine guns. The best way to almost guarantee survival when a ship is hijacked by Somali pirates is not to resist the pirates and not to be a hero.
The biggest pirate attacks
The largest pirate hijacking was a tanker from Saudi Arabia with the name SiriusStar. The ship was freed almost 2 months after it was captured off the coast of Somalia with a cargo of 2 million barrels of oil. Pirates who hijacked an oil tanker received a ransom parachuted onto the ship.
Also, one of the sensational cases of hijacking was the attack on the US ship Maersk Alabama. Five days Somali pirates held the ship's captain Richard Phillips hostage and demanded a ransom of $2 million for him. The situation reached its highest degree of tension after the captain tried to escape the day before, but failed. Negotiations reached a dead end, and a strong storm began to rise at sea. The Americans did not wait; the decision was made to destroy the Somalis.
One day, the luxury ocean cruise liner Seaborn Spirit was attacked by pirates. The attack occurred just 130 kilometers off the coast of Somalia. On board the liner there was only an acoustic cannon (these devices are usually used to disperse demonstrators). The sound emitted by the gun reaches 150 decibels, which with prolonged exposure can not only affect the hearing aid, but also seriously affect internal organs. Its use stunned the pirates and brought confusion into their ranks for some time. This delay was enough for the ship's captain to order a change in direction and send the liner into the open sea. The pirates did not pursue the liner further.
The Iranian bulk carrier Iran Deyanat with 29 international crew members and a cargo of chemical and small arms also became another victim of Somali pirates and was released only after paying the requested ransom amount.
Somali robbers also captured the Russian tanker Moscow University. It is not known how the events developed, it is only clear that in the final liberation of the tanker, the pirates were destroyed.
IN Lately Somali pirate activity has dropped significantly. For a whole year, sea robbers fail to capture a single ship. Following numerous hijackings, the international community has focused on measures to combat piracy at sea, such as expanding naval patrols and ship security equipment, to reduce the number of hijackings.
- Somalia is an economically backward and poor country in northeast Africa. The country's economy is based on livestock farming, agriculture and shark fishing.
- Pirates demand at least $5 million as a ransom for one ship, but often the robbers agree to a ransom of only a few hundred dollars.
- Foreign ships pass through Somalia's territorial waters and do not pay any duties. Pirates believe that capturing such ships for ransom restores justice.
- Enterprising ship captains set barbed wire under high voltage along the entire perimeter of the vessel. There were cases when it was precisely this “prickly tension” that saved the crew from the capture of the ship.
- Every citizen of Somalia carries a military weapon, at least a pistol. Pirates prefer Kalashnikov assault rifles and grenade launchers, women use edged weapons - knives and daggers. Children are taught to use weapons from birth.
- There is an opinion that the next target of pirate attacks may be the luxury yachts of millionaires. Be careful and careful in the territorial waters of Somalia.
Who are the pirates of Somalia? How did this gang start? We will answer these and other questions in the article. Somali pirates are modern armed groups that hijack ships off the coast of Somalia for ransom. They are usually armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons. They use small-tonnage vessels (motor boats, speedboats, fishing schooners) as vehicles.
Organization
Somalia's pirates are often superbly organized, but not very well prepared. The territorial waters of Somalia have the status of being the location of naval bases of some countries and international organizations, as well as militarized (police, military, humanitarian) areas of responsibility of guarding, patrolling or inspection parties. In order to ensure safety for shipping, the area where pirates operate is patrolled by the naval forces of Russia, NATO member countries, India and other states.
Group composition
The Somali Pirates are young men 20-35 years old from Putland (a self-proclaimed state in northeastern Somalia). According to the BBC, pirates are divided into the following categories of persons:
- experts working with technology, mainly GPS equipment;
- local fishermen who understand marine situations;
- former soldiers who participated in Somalia's internal battles as part of local alliances.
Seafarers' Assistance Association West Africa I found out that there are about five basic pirate gangs, in which there are a thousand militants with weapons.
The emergence of piracy
How and why did the pirates of Somalia arise? Since 1991, this country has virtually ceased to exist as a centralized state, dividing into zones of local authorities. Since then, the financial system and the centralized economy have not operated in it.
The country is full of weapons. Thanks to this nuance, it is not at all difficult to create superbly equipped raiding teams. The local government (or rather, tribal leaders and warlords) either participates in piracy or turns a blind eye to it. It is not interested in any counteraction to the militants, since they do not have any influence on its interethnic status.
How did Somali pirates begin to hijack ships? Near this country lie the routes of ships heading from the countries of Asia and the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. In addition, there are frequent ships traveling to or from ports on the Indian Riviera of Africa. It is known that countries in Europe and Asia quite often enter into trade contracts with each other. As a result, an impressive stream of ships with valuable cargo turns into a mass of objects for possible capture.
Piracy in this area of the planet has begun to develop at an accelerated pace since 2004. The International Maritime Bureau reported that there have been more than 100 attacks on transport vessels in Somali waters since the beginning of 2008. During this period, the militants were able to capture 40 ships, 13 of them have not yet been released. About 268 people from various countries are still in captivity to this day.
From 10 to 16 November 2008, 11 attacks were carried out in the area (three ships were hijacked) and four shooting incidents were recorded. Pirates have always used fairly powerful small arms and even grenade launchers, but so far not a single sailor has died at their hands. Perhaps this is due to both the disgusting preparation and the deliberate tactics of the militants, who understand that if blood is spilled, they will face severe persecution on the shore. That is why pirates are loyal to hostage sailors, and demand ransom from companies and corporations, owners of cargo and ships.
Of course, the hunt for Somali pirates is open. Interethnic forces and special forces of the countries that sent their navies to the incident area are increasingly opening fire to kill. In 2010, militants accused Russian special forces of executing 10 pirates without trial. This incident occurred after the release of the Russian tanker.
In 2011, on February 22, the situation changed: sea robbers took the lives of US hostages on a captured yacht that was being pursued by an American ship. The militants opened fire on the warship with an RPG, but missed. After this, 4 US citizens were killed on the yacht.
Interethnic reaction
When did the fight against pirates in Somalia begin? In 2008, on October 7, he adopted Resolution No. 1838, which allowed states to use the Air Force and Navy in this confrontation.
In 2008, on December 8, the EU launched Operation Atlanta, and in January 2009, Joint Task Force No. 151 was created.
Of paramount importance is Resolution No. 1816, adopted by the UN Security Council in 2008. It is this that establishes the basis for the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia.
The operatives were able to detain only 500 militants, two thirds of whom were later released. In 2010, in April, at the initiative of Russia, a UN Security Council resolution was adopted on the effective criminal prosecution of piracy.
First naval battles
It is known that the TFR Neustrashimy medal for the fight against pirates of Somalia was awarded to many operatives. In 2003, sea bandits attacked the Russian tanker Moneron, which was flying to Kenya from Saudi Arabia. Seven pirates on two motor boats They chased the ship for about an hour, firing from grenade launchers and machine guns.
On November 5, 2005, 160 km from the coast of Somalia, militants attacked the cruise ship Seaborn Spirit, which was traveling from Alexandria to the Seychelles. It is known that in 2005, pirates organized about 23 raids.
The battle with the corsairs, in which two US Navy ships (a destroyer and a missile cruiser) also took part, took place in 2006. This battle is considered the first naval battle of the 21st century. It should be added that the UN World Food Program chartered the cargo ship Rosen, and in 2007 it was captured by pirates. That same year they detained a Japanese tanker.
Losses in 2011
In 2011, sea robbers from Somalia caused $6.6-6.9 billion in damage. You can read about this in the report Oceans Beyond Piracy (a project of the American One Earth Future Foundation).
year 2012
Somali pirates love to be photographed with trophies. In the Arabian Sea in 2012, on May 10, they boarded the Greek tanker Smyrni, flying the flag of Liberia. It transported 135 thousand tons of crude oil.
For the first time in 2012, on May 15, Europeans fired at pirates in Somalia. They launched a missile strike from the air: the operation involved aircraft deployed on ships of the European Navy patrolling. The commander of the joint forces of Europe in the region, Rear Admiral Potts Duncan, said that the attack was targeted and there were no casualties among local residents. No Europeans were harmed either. It was not reported which country the aircraft belonged to.
Thanks to the actions of the interethnic coalition, from May 2012 to May 2013, sea robbers did not manage to catch a single ship. The operation of the Putland Marine Police special squad also played an important role in eliminating piracy. The forces of this organization destroyed the militants' ground bases. After its creation, the corsairs had to leave for the Galmudug coast.
Economic consequences
The damage caused by pirates in Somalia is increasing every year. The size of ransoms has increased significantly; they are interconnected with the size of the vessels caught. If previously the amount did not exceed 400-500 thousand dollars, today it is already about 5 million.
Cruise program
In 2009, Somalia tours appeared. Pirates have bothered people so much that some have started advertising cruises along the coast of this country on the Internet. The 2009 travel program cost only $1,500. The organizers proposed an unpunished hunt for pirates using their favorite weapons.
They wrote that their ship would sail along the Somali coast, expecting an attack by corsairs. Tourists were encouraged to take weapons with them or rent them from the cruise organizers.
The ship was supposed to leave Mombasa (Nigeria) and go along the coast of Somalia to Djibouti, where the journey ended. It was reported that on the ship each traveler could receive one hundred tracer cartridges for free. Enterprising guides promised tourists that pirates would attack at least twice. And if this does not happen, they claimed that they would return half the cost of the cruise.
They say that defeat is usually an orphan, but victory always has many fathers. The solution to the Somali-piracy problem of the 21st century is no exception in this regard.
Who defeated the Somali pirates?
Not from a good life
Let us remind the reader that the East African filibusters did not take up their trade out of a good life. After Somalia collapsed into several quasi-states that were unable to control their coastal economic zone, poachers from neighboring countries while catching tuna. At first, armed Somali fishermen went out to sea and simply took their catch. Then they thought about it and began to seize the ships and detain the crews - and returned them to the owners for a reward.
Appetite comes with eating. Over time, the ex-fishermen retrained as professional sea robbers and their targets were already choosing larger and richer vessels - tankers, bulk carriers, liners, yachts. Fortunately, up to 20 thousand ships a year passed through the Gulf of Aden, connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The ships didn't help
One of the first ships to receive the attention of the Somali gentlemen of fortune was the Russian tanker Moneron in March 2003. The pirates fired at him with machine guns and grenade launchers, but were unable to catch him in their boats.
Then other attacks followed, and soon warships from different countries began to converge on the area, which was dangerous for shipping. The Americans were the first to take the fight in 2005. When their cruiser and destroyer decided to check out a suspicious fishing boat off the coast of Somalia, they recklessly opened fire from it. The US sailors responded with machine guns, killing one of the pirates and wounding five. By removing twelve members of the gang from the burning vessel, the Americans essentially saved their lives.
The number of attacks and, accordingly, the corsairs' earnings increased, reaching $150 million in 2008. Now even the UN has “blessed” all countries of the world to fight pirates with the help of their fleets and air forces. A special naval group was formed and several military operations were carried out. In addition to NATO ships, military ships from Russia, India, Pakistan, Japan and a number of other countries took part in the fight against pirates.
Despite this, the pirates did not let up, bringing their loot by 2010 to $238 million. And the total damage from their actions amounted to 7 billion. This amount included the need for some ships to bypass the dangerous area, and the cost of insurance, etc.
Speaking of insurance. If someone thinks that only gentlemen of fortune profited from piracy, then this is not entirely true. The Somali attacks unexpectedly turned out to be beneficial for some shipowners. They insured their ships and received insurance payments for the seizure of their property.
There is a known case when one ship drifted off the coast of Somalia for almost two weeks, as if asking for a pirate boarding. And it finally happened. The filibusters routinely demanded one and a half million dollars from the owner for the ship, but he refused because the insurance received exceeded this amount. The fate of the crew worried him little, although it similar situation was unenviable...
The effectiveness of the actions of the interethnic naval forces reduced corsair activity by about 40 percent. It became clear that the answer to the question: “How to defeat Somali pirates?” we must look not only in the sea.
“Soft” or “hard” power?
Then it was decided to act differently. Firstly, the Americans bribed the largest pirate leaders to stop their robbery and disband their gangs. And they paid a lot of money. Thus, the leader of one of the groups, Mohammed Abdi Khare, was paid 20 million euros.
Some were bribed, but others appeared...
Do you know that…
In 1999, the French tanker Chaumont was captured in the Strait of Malacca. The pirates tied up the crew, emptied the safe and fled. The uncontrollable tanker walked along a narrow canal for 35 minutes, but avoided disaster.For ordinary pirates, the United States, with the help of the UN, created a number of comfortable prisons for re-education. In prisons, Muslim Somalis were also actively encouraged to convert to Christianity, believing that this would keep them from returning to the criminal business.
There were, however, supporters of more drastic measures. Thus, the official government of Somalia in 2008 hired the private French military company Secopex to ensure navigation in the Gulf of Aden. According to the leadership of this structure, their employees cleared the coastal area in northeastern Somalia, killing 300 pirates. That, however, did not stop them from operating here for several more years.
The country's official authorities themselves in 2009 asked for money for the coast guard and promised to cope with the problem with two or three of their patrol ships, provided that the international navy would leave Somalia's territorial waters. Judging by the ongoing pirate epic, nothing came of this venture either.
The situation was somewhat improved by escorting the ships with guards from private military companies. Not a single ship sailing under the protection of “private owners” was captured by pirates. Still would! The mercenaries did not hesitate to use heavy machine guns. If it were not for the rather high cost - about 35 thousand dollars for a group of three to four guards - this solution would be optimal. But not many could afford it.
The issue with pirates is up in the air again...
Particular definition
And then, according to one of the now widespread versions, the fight against pirates was taken upon... by sheikhs from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (UAE). Somehow, only three years after the start of the pirate terror, the Arabs got tired of the threat to their oil tankers and decided to act. With $50 million allocated by them, privateers from the Blackwater company formed the so-called Puntland Marine Police detachment. Puntland was the name given to one of the autonomous provinces of Somalia, where piracy flourished especially magnificently. The squad included Colombian mercenaries and instructors from South Africa. In total there were about a thousand people armed with small arms, boats, light aircraft and helicopters.
Considering that, according to Western data, the total number of pirates in different time did not exceed a thousand, the Puntland Marine Police should have had enough strength. And these forces went into battle...
It is the work of private traders that is credited with the main role in solving the problem with Somali pirates in Puntland in just two years. Since May 2012, not a single vessel has been captured in the coastal zone of the quasi-state.
There are other contenders
However, they are in no hurry to give mercenaries the glory of filibuster winners armed forces EU countries that participated in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, and one can understand the European military. How can you explain to your taxpayers why expensive actions involving the most modern warships did not produce the desired effect, and the problem was solved by ordinary private owners, albeit well-armed ones?
And then on May 15, 2012, naval aircraft, taking off from military vessels patrolling the Gulf of Aden, launched a missile attack on pirate bases on land. According to the commander of the joint European forces in the region, Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, as a result of targeted strikes, no civilians were injured, but all the pirates were destroyed at once. This is why the EU military explains that Somali attacks on merchant ships have stopped since May 2012. It’s a strange thing - what prevented them from delivering such a blow back in 2008?
Another force that, although it does not claim great fame as the winners of filibusters, could nevertheless make a fairly significant contribution to the process of eliminating piracy is the Kenyan army. In October 2011, it entered Somalia, two-thirds of which was controlled by the ten-thousand-strong Islamist group Al-Shabab, a branch of Al-Qaeda. The Kenyans and Somali extremists had their own scores to settle for a series of terrorist attacks that they carried out in Nairobi, Mombasa and a number of other cities. It's time to pay the bills.
Kenyan troops, supported by American drones, have driven militants out of almost all the country's cities and ports, pushing them into rural areas in the north of the country.
“What do pirates have to do with it?” - the reader will ask. It turns out that Al-Shabab militants controlled a number of pirate bases and received up to 20 percent of their income as compensation. For this money, religious fanatics turned a blind eye to the deviations of their “wards” from the strict canons of religion, forgiving them drunkenness, debauchery and attacks on ships of Muslim countries.
The Kenyans, apparently, did not particularly separate one from the other when clearing the ports. That is why, after their operation on the coast of Somalia, there was a lull in the Gulf of Aden for five whole years. However, this is also just one of the versions...
