Yesterday, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) chairman Spyros M Polemis made a strident call at the Maritime Cyprus conference in Limassol for greater naval presence to counter Somali pirate attacks. He said governments had ceded control of Somali waters and the Indian Ocean to pirates and that the small deployment of naval forces to the region was “like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound.” For sure, his message struck a sympathetic chord – especially amongst shipowners who hate paying for private armed guards to protect their ships.
The fundamental problem, Mr Polemis declared, was “the lack of navy ships that are committed to protecting shipping – a band aid on a gaping wound, although the navies do an excellent job under the circumstances and we commend them for this.” He acknowledged that the use of armed guards, together with adherence to Best Management Practices, reduces the risk of a successful pirate attack. But he said it was no long term solution. “Sadly,” he told the delegates, “one can only conclude from the current response of many governments that those thousands of seafarers that have so far been captured have simply had the wrong nationality. If they were all Americans or Europeans, the governments’ attitude might have been somewhat different.”
It was one spicy speech. We’re just not sure if it was grounded on reality. In April 2010, a Reuters news dispatch quoted Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, commander of US Naval Forces, Europe and Africa, as saying: “We could put a World War 2 fleet of ships out there and we still wouldn’t be able to cover the whole ocean.” The good Admiral cited attacks from the Gulf of Aden and the Mozambique Channel to off the coast of India.
That’s the problem: the wound remains bigger than the bandage ~Barista Uno
Mr Polemis’ comments are, of course, quite correct – as is your own closing remark.
However, there IS a long term solution but there has to be the will and support (both moral and financial) from the two primary international communities involved – the Maritime Industry and every Flag State.
Given the above comment regarding crew nationalities – which certainly has the ring of truth and realism about it – and the lack of natural resources in Somalia (imagine what a different scenario we’d be looking at if Somalia had significant oil reserves, for example!), then there seems little chance that anyone will take the initiative at an international “official” level.
So, once again, the ball’s left in the private sector’s court.
Undoubtedly, this problem is bigger than any one sector can handle, be they military, industry or intergovernmental. A coordinated effort is really necessary: http://piracy-law.com/2011/10/04/creating-a-regional-framework-to-address-piracy-in-the-gulf-of-guinea/