This post did not seem to garner a great deal of interest and yet the issue has now forced itself onto the world consciousness - the return of piracy on the high seas. Naturally, the shipowners are calling for protection:
This was reinforced on Wednesday when the Hong Kong Shipowners' Association called for preventive action by the world's navies as well as for humanitarian help in war-torn Somalia.
For a start, what is in it for the worlds' navies and how can they patrol the area the pirates are now operating in? As mentioned in the previous post on the issue:
Perhaps the answer is that if there were any rescue attempt, the cargo would be sunk and whilst the pirates lose millions in this particular deal, it is better for Saudi Arabia and the company to pay out a few million in ransom and save the 995 million left over.
My friend came up with the only solution I've so far heard which might work - pay them the ransom, get the ship and cargo back then send in the warships, subs and gunboats and destroy the pirate HQ in its entirety and most importantly, take over the port area. Yes, the pirates would relocate, like the Hezbollah but it would eventually prove to be yet another less port to operate from.
The alternative of arming the merchant ships is not so good because that would also mean offensive capability.
This is nothing new. However, it is finally getting some recognition in the media.
ReplyDeletePiracy is a historical and ongoing problem, which if the world sits idle and allows it to develop, will visit negative consequences upon the free world and its quest for globalization. The transport of oil to world markets has notable crisis areas, chokepoints, which potentially serve as attack points for pirates and terrorists. They include: 1) the Strait of Hormuz leading out of the Persian Gulf 2) the Strait of Malacca (which carries more than a quarter of the world's trade, and almost all the oil imports destined for Japan and China) linking the Indian Ocean with the Pacific Ocean 3) Bab el-Mandab passage from the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea 4) the Panama Canal and the Panama Pipeline connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans 5) the Suez Canal 6) Sumed Pipeline connecting the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea 7) the Turkish Straits/Bosporus linking the Black Sea (and oil coming from the Caspian Sea region) to the Mediterranean Sea (World Oil Chokepoints).
It would seem imperative that an international effort to insure the safety and sustainability of these, and all waters, is exceedingly advisable for the stability of the world and its global economy, especially with the terrorist activities in contemporary societies. It’s not that difficult to imagine terror groups or terror states, with their sophisticated propaganda techniques, organizing disgruntled citizens from the chokepoints of the world for the purpose of halting the flow of the forty-thee million barrels of oil, which flow through said checkpoints day after day. The nation of Iran has already threatened such action in the Strait of Hormuz, which provides access and egress to the Persian Gulf.
I think your friend's solution is the best one I've heard. It's an ongoing battle, but at least it will make it harder for them to carry out the same actions in the near future.
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