Wednesday, November 19, 2008

This Is How To Deal With the Piracy Threat

Harsh language hasn't worked. The legal system is ill prepared to deal with it. The UN is worthless.

Military force, however, does work. The Indian Navy destroyed a mother ship used by the pirates to strike out at shipping around the Horn of Africa.
The skirmish took place Tuesday evening about 525 kilometers southwest of Oman's Salalah port when the frigate INS Tabar spotted a suspected pirate ship with two speedboats in tow, India's Defense Ministry reported.

The pirate ship was badly damaged, said spokesman Nirad Sinha, but he could not confirm reports it had sunk.

"This vessel was similar in description to the 'Mother Vessel' mentioned in various piracy bulletins," the ministry said in a written statement.
If you eliminate the safe havens and the means for the pirates to carry out the attacks, you eliminate the threat.

It is the only way, and sooner or later the world's navies and their leadership will realize this. I can only hope that they do so before some kind of mass casualty attack occurs as a result of using the cargo or ship captured as a weapon.

There has been a serious spike in the number of attacks in recent days, as the pirates have become far more brazen and roaming deeper into the Indian Ocean to strike at targets of opportunity. Three other ships were attacked in addition to the supertanker yesterday, including a Thai fishing vessel, a Chinese-flagged Iranian cargo ship carrying wheat, and a Chinese fishing vessel.

US Special Forces may be preparing for a raid on the Saudi oil tanker. More details here about what they face - they will have to obtain intel about how many pirates are on board, the weapons present, and where they're located on board the massive ship.

Hot Air notes the moral equivalency spewed by the Associated Press in how the military response will only result in more violence. Right, as though the dozens of ships hijacked and seized by these pirates doesn't count? Deterrence will stop the pirates after they see their safe havens eliminated and their ships and means of carrying out attacks are destroyed.

This is how not to deal with the pirates. The Saudis are trying to talk (buy off) the pirates and are probably discussing terms for the ransom. All that will do is extend the problem as the pirates see all the money that can be made from seizing still more ships and figure that it's worth it despite the presence of various navy ships patrolling the waters.

What makes the situation worse is that there are increasing signs that the pirates are working with the Somali Islamists, which means that it is possible that some of the weapons and tactics are being transferred between the pirates, the Islamists and al Qaeda.

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