Is enough being done to combat the rise in pirate attacks?

One of the many workplace hazards for seamen is a growing threat to nations across the globe: piracy. The problem is especially bad in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia, where regional conditions have created an environment that make piracy an attractive option for many Somali men.

Right now Somali pirates have control of about 10 vessels and are holding some 200 crew members hostage for ransom. Attacks in 2009 are nearly twice what they were in 2008. Last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau there were 111 pirate attacks, 42 of which were successful.

This year there have been 209 pirate attacks as of mid-December, 43 of which were successful. A successful pirate attack means that pirates were able to take control of a ship and hold the crew hostage, allowing them to extort millions in ransom from the ship’s owners.

This potentially lucrative payoff is what lures many Somalis to piracy. Given the instability in Somalia – a weak U.N. backed government, rampant poverty, and a dismal job market – it is no wonder that locals are willing to try something as dangerous as piracy to bring in a large amount of money.

Given the serious nature of these pirate attacks and the growing threat to shipping companies and their maritime workers, what is being done to keep vessels in the Gulf of Aden safe? Not enough, according to some maritime experts.

The Somali government is struggling to hold on to its own small area in the capital, and thus far has been unable to seek out and destroy pirate havens around the country. As far as tracking the pirates on water, the Somali navy has only three boats, making any kind of offshore patrol effort near impossible.

This leaves the job of deterring the pirates to the international community and individual ship owners. A year ago a European Union Naval Force was deployed to the Gulf of Aden, the first time an international force has been put together in an effort to fight piracy. Experts are split on the force’s effectiveness, however.

Proponents of the force believe that by patrolling the waters off the coast of Somalia they have made it more difficult for pirates to attack ships and have therefore cut down on the number of successful piracy attempts. Critics, however, point out that the pirates have simply relocated their activities, moving further from the patrol area and using captured vessels as “mother ships” to enable more far-reaching attacks.

The real answer to curbing the number of attacks on international shipping vessels in the Gulf of Aden, according to some maritime authorities, is to disrupt pirate havens in Somalia, so the pirates lose their ability to recruit and plan attacks in their homeland. However, given Somalia’s political instability and the international community’s reluctance to conduct a ground offensive, pirate attacks will continue for the foreseeable future.

The missing piece here of course is the protection provided to workers on individual ships sailing in dangerous pirate-infested waters: it is high time that ship owners do more to protect their crews and dissuade pirates from hijacking their vessels.

If you are seeking representation after a maritime accident or Jones Act injury, please contact the experienced maritime law and Jones Act attorneys at Vujasinovic & Beckcom P.L.L.C.

Vujasinovic & Beckcom P.L.L.C

1001 Texas Avenue, Suite 1020

Houston, TX 77002

Phone: 713.224.7800

Fax: 713.224.7801