MacroScan (Printable Version) - Pirates and Panic

The history of piracy suggests that pirates do not simply create instability. They also thrive on it, in absence of a centralised or at least co-ordinated authority. So the recent sudden and dramatic increase in incidents of modern piracy, especially off the coast of Somalia, may be one more straw in the wind indicating that globally, we are entering a period of not just economic but also geo-political upheaval.

The term “pirates” comes from the Latin term “pirata” and ultimately from the Greek root “peira”, which broadly means “the attempt to find luck on sea”. Of course it currently refers not to luck, but to a more determined attempt at violence, detention, or depredation for private ends against the crew, passengers and goods on a ship (or more recently aircraft).

Piracy has a long history, indeed probably as long as that of human seafaring itself. There are documented instances of piracy from as far back as the 13th century B.C. There have been some communities, usually small homogenous groups living by the sea, such as Thracians in the epoch of classical Greece and Vikings in medieval Europe, who became famous for specialising in this activity.

In more recent times there has also been a romantic association, typically resulting from films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and other cultural representations of pirates as dashing and swashbuckling rebels against the confines of conventional life. But the lives of most pirates have probably been nasty, brutish and short, unlike the idealised versions of popular imagination.

What is clearly evident is how the incidence of piracy has increased whenever there has been broader political and economic uncertainty and turmoil. During the Middle Ages in Europe, piracy was rampant as the lack of a clear central power and territorial conflicts opened up spaces for their effective operation. Similarly, it flourished in the seas around peninsular India during the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagar empire fought over control over the Deccan. In 19th century East Asia, when the control of the Qing dynasty in China over the far-flung regions was weakening, the Wukou pirates of Japan grew increasingly powerful. The famous Caribbean piracy of the 17th century both emerged from and reflected the European colonial conflicts over territory in the western hemisphere.

More recently, pirate attacks have tended to be concentrated in the seas and straits around developing countries with heavy sea trade and smaller armies. Thus, in the 1980s, the coasts around Indonesia and Somalia were the most pirated areas of the world. The evidence on pirate attacks since 1995 (from data maintained by the International Maritime Bureau or IMB) suggests that hostage-taking for ransom has become the favoured form of pirate activity.

Piracy declined in the 1990s, and also the period 2004-06 was one of relatively few pirate attacks. Only 239 incidents were reported to the IMB in 2006, compared to 329 in 2004 and 276 in 2005. But there was a significant increase in the number of reported attacks in 2007, by more than 20 per cent. It is true that only some part of all pirate attacks are actually reported (so as not to increase insurance premia on shipping) and the proportion that is reported is estimated to be anywhere between 10 and 50 per cent.

The current year has witnessed an extraordinary increase in the number of pirate attacks, although some say that the proportion of successful attacks has declined. Most of the more striking attacks have taken place in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somalian coast. In April 2008 a French luxury yacht with 30 crew members was seized for ransom, which was eventually paid. In October an Ukrainian ship, the MV Faina, that was carrying a consignment of arms meant for Kenya, was seized by pirates. This marked a departure for Somali pirates, who had otherwise tended to concentrate on ransom piracy or taking over ships carrying food grain that they could plunder.

In November there has been an exponential increase in piracy in this area and much of it has become widely publicised. Several of these have involved India-bound ships or Indian crew being taken as hostages. Some of the incidents described in just this region in the Weekly Piracy Report of the IMB, for the period 10-15 November, are as follows:

On the 10th of November 2008:

East of Mogadishu, Somalia - two speedboats approached a refrigerated cargo ship underway and pirates armed with guns and RPGs started to open fire on the ship. The ship managed to create waves by evasive manoeuvres, which prevented the pirate speedboats from getting closer and eventually the pirates abandoned the attempt, although the sustained damages from gunfire.
Gulf of Aden - Pirates armed with RPG and guns boarded a chemical tanker underway and hijacked it. They are still holding 23 crewmembers as hostage onboard and have sailed the tanker to an undisclosed location in Somalia.

On the 11th of November:

Gulf of Aden - Two speedboats with 3-4 armed pirates in each boat chased a bulk carrier underway. The bulk carrier made evasive manoeuvres made and managed to contact a warship. A naval helicopter arrived at the location and interrupted the speedboats, which aborted the attack.

On the 12th of November:

Gulf of Aden - Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a chemical tanker underway.

On the 13th of November:

Gulf of Aden - Six pirates in a fast speedboat approached a bulk carrier underway. The Master raised an alarm, took evasive manoeuvres and managed to call a coalition warship that responded by coming to the location and chasing away the pirate boat, which had meanwhile fired upon the ship with two rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons.
Somalia - Pirates armed with automatic weapons and RPG chased and fired upon a container ship underway. Because of the firing, fire broke out in the third officers’ cabin. The vessel increased speed and made evasive manoeuvres. The pirate boat came alongside on port side. Pirates tried to embark on board but were unsuccessful and later they aborted. The vessel continued to her destination port.
Gulf of Aden - Armed pirates in two speedboats chased a tanker underway. The tanker took evasive manoeuvres and escaped from the pirates.

On the 14th of November:

Off southern Somalia - Pirates heavily armed with automatic weapons and RPG in two speedboats chased and fired upon a container ship underway. The Master increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and the crew activated fire hoses. Eventually the pirates aborted the attempted attack but the ship sustained damages due to gunshots and RPG fire.
Gulf of Aden - Pirates armed with automatic weapons in three small speedboats approached a chemical tanker underway. The Master contacted a coalition warship and took evasive manoeuvres. The speedboats spread out and approached the vessel at high speed, but ultimately the pirates failed in their attempt to board the vessel.

On the 15th of November:

Gulf of Aden - Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a chemical tanker underway. The current status of the ship and crew is unknown.
South east of Mogadishu - Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a tanker underway.

As if all this were not action enough, on 17 November the Sirius Star, a Saudi super tanker carrying an estimated 2 million barrels of oil (or around one-quarter of Saudi Arabia’s daily oil output) was seized by pirates just southeast of the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The ship and the crew have apparently been taken to a location in Somalia while ransom demands are negotiated. This particular capture took place further into the sea and away from the coast, marking a significant change in the nature of pirates’ operations in the region.

And there has been more excitement – the seizure of a Hong Kong cargo ship laden with wheat bound for Iran; the chase, battle and sinking of a pirate boat by an Indian navy ship; the pirates’ seizure of a Greek bulk carrier – all in the space of a few days.

So piracy now seems to be ruling the seas, or at least some seas. While this is at least a change from the financial piracy that has ruled the world in the recent past, it does point to the growing risk and uncertainty that now characterise all international economic transactions.



Themes > Current Issues	08.12.2008


Pirates and Panic

Jayati Ghosh

The history of piracy suggests that pirates do not simply create instability. They also thrive on it, in absence of a centralised or at least co-ordinated authority. So the recent sudden and dramatic increase in incidents of modern piracy, especially off the coast of Somalia, may be one more straw in the wind indicating that globally, we are entering a period of not just economic but also geo-political upheaval. The term “pirates” comes from the Latin term “pirata” and ultimately from the Greek root “peira”, which broadly means “the attempt to find luck on sea”. Of course it currently refers not to luck, but to a more determined attempt at violence, detention, or depredation for private ends against the crew, passengers and goods on a ship (or more recently aircraft). Piracy has a long history, indeed probably as long as that of human seafaring itself. There are documented instances of piracy from as far back as the 13th century B.C. There have been some communities, usually small homogenous groups living by the sea, such as Thracians in the epoch of classical Greece and Vikings in medieval Europe, who became famous for specialising in this activity. In more recent times there has also been a romantic association, typically resulting from films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and other cultural representations of pirates as dashing and swashbuckling rebels against the confines of conventional life. But the lives of most pirates have probably been nasty, brutish and short, unlike the idealised versions of popular imagination. What is clearly evident is how the incidence of piracy has increased whenever there has been broader political and economic uncertainty and turmoil. During the Middle Ages in Europe, piracy was rampant as the lack of a clear central power and territorial conflicts opened up spaces for their effective operation. Similarly, it flourished in the seas around peninsular India during the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagar empire fought over control over the Deccan. In 19th century East Asia, when the control of the Qing dynasty in China over the far-flung regions was weakening, the Wukou pirates of Japan grew increasingly powerful. The famous Caribbean piracy of the 17th century both emerged from and reflected the European colonial conflicts over territory in the western hemisphere. More recently, pirate attacks have tended to be concentrated in the seas and straits around developing countries with heavy sea trade and smaller armies. Thus, in the 1980s, the coasts around Indonesia and Somalia were the most pirated areas of the world. The evidence on pirate attacks since 1995 (from data maintained by the International Maritime Bureau or IMB) suggests that hostage-taking for ransom has become the favoured form of pirate activity. Piracy declined in the 1990s, and also the period 2004-06 was one of relatively few pirate attacks. Only 239 incidents were reported to the IMB in 2006, compared to 329 in 2004 and 276 in 2005. But there was a significant increase in the number of reported attacks in 2007, by more than 20 per cent. It is true that only some part of all pirate attacks are actually reported (so as not to increase insurance premia on shipping) and the proportion that is reported is estimated to be anywhere between 10 and 50 per cent. The current year has witnessed an extraordinary increase in the number of pirate attacks, although some say that the proportion of successful attacks has declined. Most of the more striking attacks have taken place in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somalian coast. In April 2008 a French luxury yacht with 30 crew members was seized for ransom, which was eventually paid. In October an Ukrainian ship, the MV Faina, that was carrying a consignment of arms meant for Kenya, was seized by pirates. This marked a departure for Somali pirates, who had otherwise tended to concentrate on ransom piracy or taking over ships carrying food grain that they could plunder. In November there has been an exponential increase in piracy in this area and much of it has become widely publicised. Several of these have involved India-bound ships or Indian crew being taken as hostages. Some of the incidents described in just this region in the Weekly Piracy Report of the IMB, for the period 10-15 November, are as follows: On the 10th of November 2008: East of Mogadishu, Somalia - two speedboats approached a refrigerated cargo ship underway and pirates armed with guns and RPGs started to open fire on the ship. The ship managed to create waves by evasive manoeuvres, which prevented the pirate speedboats from getting closer and eventually the pirates abandoned the attempt, although the sustained damages from gunfire. Gulf of Aden - Pirates armed with RPG and guns boarded a chemical tanker underway and hijacked it. They are still holding 23 crewmembers as hostage onboard and have sailed the tanker to an undisclosed location in Somalia. On the 11th of November: Gulf of Aden - Two speedboats with 3-4 armed pirates in each boat chased a bulk carrier underway. The bulk carrier made evasive manoeuvres made and managed to contact a warship. A naval helicopter arrived at the location and interrupted the speedboats, which aborted the attack. On the 12th of November: Gulf of Aden - Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a chemical tanker underway. On the 13th of November: Gulf of Aden - Six pirates in a fast speedboat approached a bulk carrier underway. The Master raised an alarm, took evasive manoeuvres and managed to call a coalition warship that responded by coming to the location and chasing away the pirate boat, which had meanwhile fired upon the ship with two rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons. Somalia - Pirates armed with automatic weapons and RPG chased and fired upon a container ship underway. Because of the firing, fire broke out in the third officers’ cabin. The vessel increased speed and made evasive manoeuvres. The pirate boat came alongside on port side. Pirates tried to embark on board but were unsuccessful and later they aborted. The vessel continued to her destination port. Gulf of Aden - Armed pirates in two speedboats chased a tanker underway. The tanker took evasive manoeuvres and escaped from the pirates. On the 14th of November: Off southern Somalia - Pirates heavily armed with automatic weapons and RPG in two speedboats chased and fired upon a container ship underway. The Master increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and the crew activated fire hoses. Eventually the pirates aborted the attempted attack but the ship sustained damages due to gunshots and RPG fire. Gulf of Aden - Pirates armed with automatic weapons in three small speedboats approached a chemical tanker underway. The Master contacted a coalition warship and took evasive manoeuvres. The speedboats spread out and approached the vessel at high speed, but ultimately the pirates failed in their attempt to board the vessel. On the 15th of November: Gulf of Aden - Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a chemical tanker underway. The current status of the ship and crew is unknown. South east of Mogadishu - Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a tanker underway. As if all this were not action enough, on 17 November the Sirius Star, a Saudi super tanker carrying an estimated 2 million barrels of oil (or around one-quarter of Saudi Arabia’s daily oil output) was seized by pirates just southeast of the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The ship and the crew have apparently been taken to a location in Somalia while ransom demands are negotiated. This particular capture took place further into the sea and away from the coast, marking a significant change in the nature of pirates’ operations in the region. And there has been more excitement – the seizure of a Hong Kong cargo ship laden with wheat bound for Iran; the chase, battle and sinking of a pirate boat by an Indian navy ship; the pirates’ seizure of a Greek bulk carrier – all in the space of a few days. So piracy now seems to be ruling the seas, or at least some seas. While this is at least a change from the financial piracy that has ruled the world in the recent past, it does point to the growing risk and uncertainty that now characterise all international economic transactions.


© MACROSCAN 2008