Somali Pirates Hijack Yet Another Tanker

Despite the efforts of the US and nearly a dozen other navies to contain and curtail the pirates who operate from Somalia, piracy continues unabated. The latest ship to be hijacked was a liquid petroleum gas tanker with a crew of 13.

It was not immediately clear what cargo the tanker was carrying, although Lloyds Maritime Intelligence told NBC News that the Longchamp carries liquid petroleum gas.

The ship left Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, and passed through the Suez Canal on the 21st January, Lloyds said. It then turned off it's IAS guidance system — which ships can now do through the Gulf of Aden to avoid hijackings, although it also means that at present it is not known exactly where the tanker is.

Piracy taking growing toll
Piracy has taken an increasing toll on international shipping, especially in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Pirates made an estimated $30 million hijacking ships for ransom last year, seizing more than 40 vessels off Somalia's 1,900-mile coastline.

Somali waters are now patrolled by more than a dozen warships from countries including Britain, France, Germany, Iran and the United States. China and South Korea have also ordered the dispatch of warships to protect their vessels and crews from pirates.

Christensen said the protecting warships were not involved in the incident in which the Longchamp was taken. Christensen had no other details on the vessel and its crew.

As I have repeatedly noted, the only way to eliminate the piracy problem in Somalia is to go after the safe havens on shore where the pirates are able to operate from with impunity. Somalia is a failed state, which makes it the perfect incubator for terrorism and piracy.

There were 49 successful hijackings of shipping worldwide in 2008, 42 of which were in Somalia. It is the most dangerous stretch of water in the world for shipping, and that poses serious problems for international trade, since its waters lead to the Suez Canal and are a prime shipping lane for oil tankers heading from the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world.

One of the biggest problems facing the navies arrayed to stop the pirates is that they are not entirely clear on the international law on which they can stop the pirates. Piracy is not unlike terrorism, and there have been indications that terrorists might resort to piracy to fund their operations or to secure certain kinds of shipments, including liquid natural gas tankers, which could rigged to explode with a force equivalent to a small nuclear device, or ships carrying weapons or materials that can be used to make weapons.

So, where do the pirates go to get their money? London. It's an entire industry effort.

"They are negotiating for money, therefore anybody who has been on holiday and has tried to bargain with an Egyptian [market trader] for a carpet will understand how difficult it is to negotiate a conclusion. But we don't have the option of walking away, we have got to keep negotiating."

It's a radical departure from the airline hijackings of previous decades. Then, hijackers, who tended to be politically motivated, knew it was only a matter of time before special forces would be called in and try to kill them. Ransoms were often not paid.

But Somali piracy is different. Paying a ransom is not illegal under British law, unless it's to terrorists. And while governments have failed to clamp down to hijackings, a precedent of paying up has been established. So, as soon as pirates set foot on a ship they know pay day is only a matter of time.

The next link in the chain is a specialist negotiator, whose job is to try to reach a reasonable price.

You want to end piracy? You have to stop treating it as a cost of doing business and start treating it like the international security matter that it is. That means a cessation of negotiating for the release of the shipping and the hostages, and instead stating that no ransoms will be paid and the special forces are on the way. If you eliminate the incentives, the pirates will find themselves out of a job.

UPDATE:
Fred Fry International reports that a French frigate captured 9 Somali pirates (photos included). They were responding to a distress call from the cargo vessel African Ruby.

UPDATE:
At the moment, 10 ships and 179 crew members are being held by the pirates in Somalia.