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| International |
| High Seas Piracy No Big Deal? |
| 2003-08-06 |
| In the first six months of 2003, acts of piracy on the high seas increased 37 percent over the same period last year. Deaths from pirate attacks were up as well, with sixteen crewmen killed in the first six months of the year, compared to six last year. Indonesia is the scene of most of the new pirate activity, with 43 ships boarded, four hijacked and seventeen others able to evade the attackers there. But most shipping companies are doing nothing about this situation, except to warn their ships of the danger. The problem is that, given the number of ships moving through Indonesian waters (over a thousand a day), the incidence of piracy is too low to justify any more energetic, or expensive, measures. Shipping companies are treating the increasing pirate activity as another risk of being at sea. If maritime insurance companies threatened to raise their rates (which they haven’t), something would be done. Given the current number of pirate attacks each year (about 400), and the number of large merchant ships in the world (over 20,000), and the fact that most of the attacks are robberies of the crew, or portable ships equipment, the piracy situation will make good headlines, but not much else. The headlines put more pressure on the nations involved to set up anti-piracy patrols, mainly because the pirates also go after local ships (there are over a million fishing ships world wide) and pleasure craft if they can’t snag a large ship to rob. Well, if I were one of the family members of those 16 killed, I’d have a different opinion. Wait a minute--I do have a different opinion anyway! At the least, give the crews sufficient arms to defend themselves! |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #6 Increase in the last six months? Hmmmm, gee I guess the US Navy had other priorities elsewhere in the world. First level response - organize convoys for US flagged and 'coaliton of the willing' shippage through the trouble waters. All others can stay along the edge of the convoy like a bunch of camp followers, but don't send us a SOS because we're already guarding the flock. |
| Posted by: Don 2003-8-6 4:14:10 PM |
| #5 From what I understand, the military is moving to replace the M-2 machine gun. Sounds like an excellent weapon to protect yourself from a typical pirate |
| Posted by: Chemist 2003-8-6 3:28:01 PM |
| #4 William Langeweische has a long and interesting article in The Atlantic this month (not online yet)on international Piracy. The short version is that there is a lot to worry about and very, very little that can be done about it. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-8-6 2:01:01 PM |
| #3 Hmmm... Pirates, eh? Sounds like a job for a few frigates and some Marines. Any Anapolis grads with the following names available? Preble, Decatur, O'Bannon, Lawrence, Hull, Porter, Stewart or Bainbridge? |
| Posted by: Hodadenon 2003-8-6 1:11:43 PM |
| #2 If piracy is not nipped in the bud, every nutcase, criminal, and jihadi will come out of the woodwork and prey on shipping. This will drive up insurance rates so high that economies will be affected. Being proactive is the right thing to do. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-8-6 12:43:58 PM |
| #1 Sounds like a bean counter is making policy. Certainly on non-oil tanker type ships, they should have lots of guns to discourage Sinbad and his pals. |
| Posted by: Douglas De Bono 2003-8-6 11:17:45 AM |