action,reaction, solution.
And so it goes….
The phrase “international community” is always code for the rich jackbooting the poor.

Posted by: Malooga | Jan 8 2009 18:18 utc | 3

Who is the idiot that wrote this mis-informed article. The US Navy has been leading the way all along. The piracy issue has been an ongoing problems for several years and escalated over the last 2-3 years to the problem it is now. We, the US, have tried to get the shipping companies to provide thier own security and tried to provide safe corridors for them. Private vessels and yahts are alerted to the dangers of the area and warned of the troubles. China, Germany, France, Japan, and India (I am sure there are a few others) all have thier navies in the area and are coordinating on operations, but no-one has taken the lead until now. This ain’t GW Bush and his lying BS. These are non-political admirals from countries working together with just a handshake deal.
Read the reports and do some research before you start bashing the efforts to protect your ass.

Posted by: Randy | Jan 8 2009 18:42 utc | 5

@b real @2 – I am aware of that 1000 ships fantasy and believe it will never happen. The U.S. hopes for a force it does not have to pay but will do its bidding. I doubt they will get it.

Posted by: b | Jan 8 2009 19:39 utc | 7

@8 is bass ackwards – the chinese finally felt the need to show up after the force projection of the u.s. navy, NATO, the russians, the EU & a host of others became too much to ignore.
china daily article at the time

Apart from fighting pirates, another key goal is to register the presence of the Chinese navy,” Prof Li Jie, a naval researcher, told China Daily.

the u.s. announcement of CTF-151 itself seems more of a public relations opp, imo
recall that poppy bush tried another PR move in somalia at the end of his term too, operation restore hope, timed at the end of the famine to promote the u.s. military as a humanitarian force, ensure military spending/importance in the transition to the next regime, and help conoco & three of her sisters secure their oil concessions

Posted by: b real | Jan 8 2009 21:13 utc | 9

Huffington post says you are being lied to about the pirates

Posted by: billmee | Jan 9 2009 0:44 utc | 11

the outrage is definitely manipulated to the point that the real criminals are usually portrayed as the victims. don’t be surprised it’s a story we’ve covered in depth over the past two years across multiple threads.
two helpful references, for those not up to speed
THE TWO PIRACIES IN SOMALIA: WHY THE WORLD IGNORES THE OTHER?

The other more damaging economically, environmentally and security-wise is the massive illegal foreign fishing piracy that have been poaching and destroying the Somali marine resources for the last 18 years following the collapse of the Somali regime in 1991. With its usual double standards when such matters concern Africa, the “international community” comes out in force to condemn and declare war against the Somali fishermen pirates while discreetly protecting the numerous Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing fleets there from Europe, Arabia and the Far East.
Biased UN resolutions, big power orders and news reports continue to condemn the hijackings of merchant ships by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. If response to both piracy menaces was balanced and fair, these condemnations would have been justified. European Union (EU), Russia, Japan, India, Egypt and Yemen are all on this piracy campaign, mainly to cover up and protect their illegal fishing fleets in the Somali waters.
In all these piracy ballyhoo and campaigns, why is the other key IUUs fishing piracy ignored? Why are the UN Resolutions, NATO Orders and EU Decrees to invade the Somali seas fail to include the protection of the Somali marine resources from IUU violations in the same waters? Not only is this outrageous fishing piracy disregarded but the illegal foreign marine poachers are being encouraged to continue their loot by as none of the current Resolutions, Orders and Decrees apply to the IUUs, which can now freely fish in and violate the Somali seas. The Somali fishermen can no longer scare away the IUUs for fear of being labeled pirates and attacked by the foreign navies unlawfully controlling the Somali waters. Even the traditional Somali trading dhows are in panic of being mistaken for pirates.

plundered waters: somalia’s maritime resource insecurity

This chapter will first provide a brief overview of the Somali geopolitical context, as this is critical to an understanding of the maritime security situation offshore. Somalia’s maritime claims and resources will then be examined. Aspects of Somalia’s maritime insecurity will then be explored as a prelude to an assessment of the environmental, economic, and security threat posed by IUU fishing in Somali waters. Finally, the Somali case will be set in its wider Indian Ocean context.

Posted by: b real | Jan 9 2009 3:07 utc | 13

Thank you for all of your work, breal.
The US never had any quandaries about what to do with people before. If they truly thought they were “terrorists,” they would disappear them and torture them.
Releasing them to continue there activities indicates the false-flag, dual loyalty nature of the event.

Posted by: Malooga | Jan 9 2009 14:37 utc | 15

afp: US envoy urges Japan to join Somalia anti-piracy mission

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan should join anti-piracy operations near Somalia and not get entangled in debate on whether the step would violate the pacifist constitution, the US ambassador here said.
“I hope Japan will make a contribution and will do more to help rid the world of this scourge of piracy that we’re experiencing now,” Ambassador Thomas Schieffer told the Yomiuri Shimbun in an interview published Friday.
…
Japan renounced the right to wage war in Article 9 of its constitution imposed by the United States after World War II. Current law allows the navy to protect only ships flying the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese passengers.
“If they were the sailors of another nation, I can understand the problems that Article 9 of the constitution would present,” Schieffer said.
“But I just can’t understand how anybody can’t protect themselves and their citizens against pirates.”

Posted by: b real | Jan 10 2009 5:22 utc | 17

from a ecoterra international’s january 12 press release on the status of the mv faina

Again Friendly Fire Mishap – A French helicopter opened fire on a Yemeni sailing vessel near Yemeni territorial waters last Friday, injuring the fisherman, was now confirmed by Yemeni media. A Yemeni traditional fishing boat MSV AL-GAMARIAIN was pursued by a boat believed to be French near Yemeni territorial waters. Shortly after, a French helicopter flew over the Yemeni boat and opened fire on it injuring Mr. Al-Kawsi, one of the boat’s crew members from Al-Mukala city. Local sources told the Yemen Post that as soon as the crew of the Yemeni boat has access to the coast of Al-Mukala City, they informed the Fishermen Assembly which in its turn notified the authorities in the city. The same sources pointed out that the French Forces working with international forces suspected the Yemeni boat to be Somali pirates’ boat and then opened fire on the crew of the boat.
Based on this incident Ecoterra Intl. called again on a better approach to the piracy problem and for improved rules of engagement to avoid such wrongful action in seas where most fishermen have to arm themselves in defence against pirates as well as against armed foreign fishing vessels. Most fisherman with guns on board are no pirates, like most livestock nomads with guns only have them for self-defence. Naval forces who have no experience in Africa to make the right distinctions between friend and foe should have no right to play wild chasing games with deadly force – that is simply inhumane. Though this case – based on the location of the incident – might have to be tried by the Yemen state, Ecoterra Intl. also renewed it’s call for an independent and transparent oversight body monitoring the navies and investigating all such incidences in Somali waters. Such body must do this first for and on behalf of the Somali Government but also with the task to establish such important institution for the Somali Government, which in future must then take over such vital tasks of governance like monitoring and guarding the 3,300 km long coast and all the waters in the Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nm.

Posted by: b real | Jan 15 2009 6:13 utc | 19

intelligent article in the current issue of foreign policy by “professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College”
Think Again: Pirates

“Piracy Is Making a Comeback”
No, it never went away. The world has lived with piracy for millennia, and efforts to clean up the seas have never been truly successful. If anything, a rise in piracy has simply kept pace with the growth in international shipping. There are more targets, and thus more incidents — on average, about 275 attacks around the world annually for the past several years.
…
In all cases, the problem is rooted in poor governance onshore. There has been no effective government to control illicit groups or patrol waters in Somalia since the 1991 collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre’s regime. In the years since, foreign fishing trawlers have increasingly encroached on Somali waters, decimating the local fishing industry and spawning the plague of piracy to “defend” Somali waters (one pirate group even calls itself the coast guard).
…
“Pirates Are Terrorists”
Not yet. Piracy is armed robbery at sea, but it isn’t terrorism. It is more akin to carjacking than to car-bombing. Yes, pirates target civilians, but not to instill fear; it’s to make money.
…
“Armed Merchant Ships Are the Answer”
Wrong. Arming crews or deploying security teams on merchant ships won’t prevent hijacking, but it is guaranteed to escalate violence. So far, pirates have not harmed their hostages or sunk captured vessels. Fighting back will certainly change this. Armed crews will also create higher insurance rates for ships as the risk of damage to vessels and cargo increases.
…
“If Captured, Pirates Could Easily Be Tried for Their Crimes”
Guess again. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea notes that “every State may seize a pirate ship or aircraft … and arrest the persons.” Yet, no single country has jurisdiction over international waters — where many of the recent hijackings have taken place. More importantly, no country wants to prosecute pirates in their domestic court system for fear those arrested might request asylum. That concern is particularly acute when it comes to Somali pirates desperate to flee the dismal conditions in the Horn of Africa. Most captured pirates end up being released.
…
“The World Needs a War on Piracy”
Absolutely not. Wars against commodities, tactics, or phenomena are rarely, if ever, truly won. Just look at the war on drugs, or the war on terror — both dragging on with hard-to-quantify results. Such wars misdirect scarce resources and cannot address underlying conditions. Under a war on piracy, merchant ships will still be hijacked and pirates will continue to extort money from commercial shipping companies.
Beyond the fact that absolute victory against piracy is a fallacy, there are the logistical problems. No country or naval coalition has the capacity to monitor the Gulf of Aden, an area four times the size of France. Vast amounts of intelligence — and moreover, intelligence swapping — are required to locate pirates. And most of the time, pirate ships do not stand out from other fishing vessels, so identification only comes after an attack has taken place.
…
..with a smarter fight against the conditions onshore that foster piracy — the country’s instability, the illegal fishing that puts Somalis out of work — the world will come to find the high seas a great deal safer.

Posted by: b real | Jan 15 2009 23:53 utc | 21

voa – trusted source of laughs & disinformation since 1942
: Somali Pirates Disrupt Fishing Industry, Increase Fish Stocks

Following warnings from shipping companies on the impact of Somali piracy on the global shipping industry, tuna fishermen in the Indian Ocean say pirate activities are also affecting their multi-billion-dollar industry. But pirates may also be inadvertently playing the role of marine conservationists by preventing commercial over-fishing.

you gotta be f’ing kidding me… that’s one of the somali fishermen’s key gripes – that their fish stocks are being exploited by IUU fishing fleets

The head of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Alejandro Anganuzzi, says tuna fleets that operate in the region have been hauling in far fewer fish compared to what they used to catch before 2007.
He says the decline in catches have affected a $6 billion industry that provides roughly a quarter of the world’s supply of tuna.
…
Bands of heavily-armed Somali pirates were searching for ships to hijack in the same area where large schools of fish gathered every year.
…
Anganuzzi says he does not know the overall impact of piracy on the tuna industry. But he says the threat of pirate attacks have prompted many vessels to avoid some of the richest fishing spots in the Indian Ocean.
“If you look at a map and you look at all these areas that tuna vessels are reluctant to go in, it happens to be prime fishing grounds,” he said.

you don’t say…
i swear, you can’t make this stuff up

A U.S.-based marine conservationist, Joni Lawrence, says by denying fishing vessels access to rich hunting grounds in the Indian Ocean, the pirates could be doing the world a favor.
“In a perverse way, the pirates are definitely doing a good thing because maybe it will raise awareness about the benefits of leaving a fish alone for a while so that people see that it is possible for them to replenish,” said Lawrence. “Over-fishing will disrupt the balance of marine eco-systems and will have a critical effect on local and national economies around the world that depend on fishing for their survival.”
“What we need is limits on catches and a means to monitor those limits,” Lawrence continued. “Even those governments who are supporting over-fishing laws and imposing catch limits – the catch limits are great, but they cannot be enforced. So, ideally, in a perfect world, we could employ the pirates and pay them a salary to do this.”

Posted by: b real | Jan 27 2009 6:18 utc | 23

[removed link to get past typepad filter]
toro toro toro!
Japan orders ships to fight Somalia pirates

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense minister Wednesday ordered the dispatch of ships to fight pirates off the shores of Somalia, joining countries ranging from the United States to Iran to China in the battle against the outlaws.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada did not say how many Japanese ships would be sent or when, and said his dispatch order was an interim measure until parliament passes a formal law outlining the ships’ activities in their mission against piracy.
“The pirates’ activities off the Somali coast are a major threat not only to Japan but also to international society and it is a problem that we must deal with urgently,” Hamada said.
Hamada ordered the government to study the size of troops needed and report back to him.
…
Japan’s government said no Japanese ships have been hijacked, but pirates fired at three Japanese vessels.
[not true – there were two or three japanese chemical tankers held for ransom last year. i’m not sure about fishing vessels, but japan has a history of IUU activity off somalia.]
…
The activities of Japan’s military are highly restricted by Japan’s post World War II constitution, which limits Japan to conducting only defensive military operations. Ruling party members have argued that battling pirates should be seen as fighting crime on the high seas, not strictly as a military operation.

Posted by: b real | Jan 28 2009 5:06 utc | 25

unosat high res map (pdf) of piracy events in the gulf of aden for 2008
from jan 14th (only now catching it)
German navy in operations off Somalia

For more than two weeks, Germany has been conducting naval operations in the Gulf of Aden, in order to secure the international sea routes.
According to Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung (Christian Democratic Union, CDU), this is “the most robust mandate” in Germany’s post-war history. Jung had flown to Djibouti to see off the frigate Karlsruhe. No longer was it a matter of providing “aid, protection and mediation,” as in earlier operations, Jung stressed, but the forces could expressly engage in combat. The mandate, passed by the Bundestag (federal parliament) in December by a large majority, sanctions German military personnel not only to attack hostile ships but also to sink them.
The despatch of the frigate Karlsruhe is only the beginning. When required, the frigate Mecklenburg Vorpommern can also be used directly for support. This ship is presently working in the region with a clearly weaker mandate within the framework of Operation Enduring Freedom under US leadership. Under the new mandate, up to 1,400 German military personnel can now be deployed in the Gulf of Aden.
The deployment is part of the European Union operation Atlanta, which was passed on November 10, 2008 by the EU Council as an anti-piracy measure. Five to ten countries are participating in the operation, including France and Britain. Operational headquarters are in London, with a mobile command post alternating between Greece, Spain and the Netherlands.
…
The enormous military operation, however, cannot be explained simply by the fight against piracy. In times of economic crisis, none of the world’s great powers want to cede control of this important maritime route to their competitors, and through which the majority of the Asia-Europe trade runs. The geo-strategic significance of such commercial sea routes is comparable with aggressively contested oil and gas pipelines. Germany alone imports 56 percent of its crude oil by sea and a high percentage of Germany’s foreign trade is also transported by sea.
Under the banner of the fight against piracy, international disputes are beginning over commercial routes and sea lanes that can result in violent military conflicts.
Already in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the “war on terror” has been used to justify imperialist politics. The German government is now fashioning a close link between the fight against “terrorism” and its anti-piracy operation.
The Atlanta deployment and the US’ Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan are closely linked, as shown by the example of the frigate Mecklenburg Vorpommern. According to a security strategy paper of the Christian Democrats’ parliamentary group from May 6 last year: “The spread of organized crime in weak states makes the threat of terrorism even more serious. War, extremism and terrorism are being financed out of the proceeds of criminal activities, particularly from the drugs trade, but also from the illegal trade in arms, human trafficking, money laundering or piracy.”
Birgit Homburger of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) expressed this link even more clearly when she told the Bundestag: “Cross-border international terrorism can no longer be differentiated from piracy and organized crime.” She demanded that operations Atlanta and Enduring Freedom be combined.
The economic interests that lie behind the deployment of the German navy were also openly enunciated in the Bundestag.
[more]

Posted by: b real | Jan 28 2009 18:50 utc | 27

times of india: Indian sub stalked China warships?

Jostling for the same strategic space in Indian Ocean Region (IOR), a cat-and-mouse game reminiscent of the tussle between US and
Soviet navies during the Cold War is taking place between India and China in full earnest.
Indian submarines, maritime reconnaissance aircraft and warships closely tracked, “buzzed” and photographed two Chinese destroyers and a supply ship making their way to the Gulf of Aden off Somalia recently for anti-piracy patrols.
Chinese media reports, however, now contend that the two Chinese destroyers, Wuhan and Haikou, among the most-powerful in the People’s Liberation Army-Navy fleet, had “forced” an Indian Kilo-class submarine stalking them to “surface” after cornering it following a chase.
The Chinese warships even “launched” a helicopter, armed with torpedoes, against the Indian submarine during the “tense standoff” near Bab el-Mandab Strait, which separates Yemen and Djibouti, on January 15. After surfacing, the submarine left without any further confrontation, said the reports.
Asked about this, the Navy spokesperson only said, “No Indian submarine surfaced in that area. Moreover, nobody can force anybody to surface in international waters.”
Sources, however, said the Indian Navy had indeed “spooked” the Chinese warships “several times” during their transit, right from Malacca Strait to the Somali waters. “Every advanced navy does it. Most of the times, it does not become public knowledge,” said a source.

Posted by: b real | Feb 5 2009 5:20 utc | 29

Turkish govt moves to deploy navy off Somalia

ANKARA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – The Turkish government presented to parliament on Thursday a memorandum to allow Turkey to deploy its navy off the Somali coast to prevent pirates hijacking its ships, the state-run Anatolian news agency said.
More than a dozen ships with links to NATO-member Turkey have been among the vessels hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia during the recent spate of piracy.
The agency said the memorandum envisaged a one-year limit for the deployment in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast.
“The threat to our commercial vessels has reached a dimension where it negatively affects our country’s trade and economic interests,” the memorandum said.
…
Some 15 ships with links to Turkey have been hijacked, along with more than 300 crew, of which 37 were Turkish.
It said Turkey was cooperating actively in the work of the United Nations, NATO and the European Union on the issue. It was not clear when parliament would consider the memorandum.

Posted by: b real | Feb 6 2009 5:31 utc | 31