Reviving an Old Maritime Practice – Somali Pirates

According to history, Vikings were the masters of the game, if not the pioneers. They did not only loot the properties in the high seas or on shores off vessels, but also extended the ruthless skills far beyond the then vaguely-defined boundaries of sea piracy by invading the countries of western Europe and then settling down en masse - to pursue farming and deal with anything that got in the way to achieving it.

Modern-day Scandinavians may have never thought that the acts committed by their ancestors would be reinvigorated or modelled on a less-violent scale in the 21st Century by some inhabitants on the Gulf of Aden – to kick off a dusty cloud of embarrassment and unease.

It is reported that Somali pirates hijacked the third foreign ship this week in spite of patrolling conducted by more than a half-a-dozen powerful navies. By all accounts, the pirates are getting bolder, richer and even funnier – branding themselves as ‘gentlemen’ in front of television crews who dared to meet them.

Clan-based Somalia has been without a functioning government for well over decade: the West abandoned it by classifying it as un-governable; the Americans had an unpleasant experience when they were in pursuit of one of the main warlords in Somalia – Mohammed Farrah Aidid – who, in a bizarre twist of fate, happened to be a naturalized US citizen and an ex-marine.

In the absence of a civil administration – elected or otherwise – an ever growing number of warlords took the law – and powerful guns too – into their own hands and the result was predictable – a menace on unimaginable scale for both Somalia’s battered neighbours and international shipping lines, as the route through Gulf of Aden has been one of the busiest in the world.

The fate of three ships in a week shows the gangs of pirates are vigilant enough to exploit even the slightest drop of guard; the Christmas and New Year commitments may have compelled the international navies to take the eye off the ball – and pirates struck with enviable efficiency.

According to past notable piracy incidents at the hands of Somalis, the latter seem to be emulating the street traders in the region to the core by displaying the aptitude for constructive bargaining: the original demand always is in the region of millions and comes down, perhaps, faster than the sails of old tall ships, when reality kicks in. Of course, they threat the hapless crews with ‘consequences’ in the event of their masters not honouring their part of ‘deals’. However, the executions are not heard of.

The operations carried out by Somali pirates follow a familiar pattern: they lurking around potential targets in small boats in the guise of fishermen while concealing their sophisticated weapons – the only form of protection against the potential attacks by international navies; then they get close enough to fire RPG’s to frighten the crew; and finally, they board the ship and order it close the Somali coastline where the problem is endemic; once the crew are under detention, the demands are made through professional negotiators while leaving a sufficient room for bargaining.

The biggest problem for the international navies is what to do with the captives; the pirates can’t be tried in Somalia for obvious reasons. If they are to be taken to a Western country, say the Netherlands, there are two cumbersome possibilities: the pirates may enjoy a relatively luxury life in a western prison – hardly a deterrent; after the end of a possible short-lived jail term, he may ask for political asylum in the host country by ingeniously exploiting the existing system to do so.

As the West is mired in legal wrangling – or lack of it about what to do with the menace – yet another phase of piracy is mushrooming in Somalia. The good money that the bounty inevitably brings in has made the looters rich and a serious force to reckon with in the fiercely-tribal Somali society. So, the youth look up to them as role models and the piracy turns dangerously magnetic by attracting scores of them as new recruits for the vile practice.

Somalia has a feeble administration which loves to be called a government. It says it is doing its level best to tackle the problem with the very limited resources it has at its disposal. However, when the tentacles of this administration are shrinking in towards Mogadishu, the capitol of Somalia, the role of the boss of the very institute becomes more of a mayor than that of a prime minister.

The West seemed to have learnt one lesson with regard to the lawless country – not to introduce democracy in a hurry to a society that thrives on tribalism. That is why they let them ‘get on’ with their affairs for over a decade. The trouble is Somalia doesn’t seem to be reciprocating – letting the West get on with its own affairs by allowing the ships to cross safely the waterway near their country.

That is why ordinary Somalis always fear the worst – a series of air strikes by the West against hotspots of ‘piracyland’. The response by the West so far has been very gentle – arresting the culprits and then confiscating the weapons or conducting a few trails. If a response gets tougher, then the moral responsibility lies with the tribal elders who boast about keeping the society ‘in order’ by following the rigid ‘traditions’.

The dwindling number of incidents of piracy in the other parts of the world – near the Philippines and Indonesia – is a welcome development. It indicates a determined government – not necessarily a perfect government – can take effective measures the curb the activities of the pirates to a significant level despite their tentacles of power running into many layers of the society in that part of the world.

While Somali government can learn some lessons from them, international shipping companies can show some responsibility by not giving into the demands of the pirates easily by offering cash as the first resort. After all, some of irresponsible acts committed by certain shipping companies provide the pirates with a perfect excuse to carry on their vile practice – dumping waste in their waters and stealing fish stock.

The model of boomerang exists in the sphere of international trade too, as the evidence of this kind faintly develops a picture of cause-and-effect in the ethical radar.

- Asian Tribune -