01 June 2009
International Efforts to Fight Piracy off the Coast of Africa
Podcast on cooperation between the United States and other nations
This is the transcript of a podcast on efforts to fight piracy off the coast of East Africa.
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Narrator:
This is an America.gov podcast.
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The United States is cooperating with other nations and international organizations to find new, more effective ways to deter piracy off the coast of East Africa.
The United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union and NATO have joined with America to combat the growing problem. On December 9th, 2008, the United States introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution to allow foreign countries to follow pirates onshore in Somalia, with the prior notification of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government. Such action could help stop the planning or facilitating of pirate acts. The resolution also allows access to Somalia’s airspace. Together, these measures would offer a major expansion of the tools available to those now fighting piracy at sea.
The International Maritime Bureau reports that 40 ships were seized in 2008. Pirates still hold hundreds of crew members. The cargos of the captured ships sometimes can be very dangerous. Ships from the U.S. Navy and other nations quarantined a Ukrainian ship called the MV Faina after pirates seized the vessel with a cargo of 30 Soviet-era tanks, weapons and ammunition onboard. The naval quarantine sought to prevent the cargo from reaching African shores while ransom negotiations were underway. After five months, the ship’s owner paid a $3.2 million ransom and the vessel was freed in February 2009, but its captain died of a stroke during the ordeal.
Members of NATO are also committed to fighting piracy off the Horn of Africa. NATO ships, from members such as Italy, Turkey and the United Kingdom are escorting World Food Programme relief supplies to Somalia after it became too dangerous for chartered ships to sail through the Gulf of Aden. The mission, called Operation Allied Provider, has enabled the World Food Programme to deliver tons of humanitarian aid.
Although less than one percent of ships passing through the Gulf of Aden have been upset by pirate actions, specialists predict a worsening problem. The U.S. Navy already had ships in the area to deter terrorism and train with African navies. But experts say that commercial vessels need to realize that navies cannot fully protect more than one million square kilometers of open water. Plus, as international organizations move toward more aggressive and coordinated action in pirate-infested waters, the pirates have figured out gaps in naval capabilities.
But in the end, the real solutions to piracy will be found on land. All pirates have to go ashore, and the lack of laws and social order in places like Somalia allow pirates to thrive. This is the root of the problem and must be addressed.
The United States also sponsored passage of a U.N. resolution to establish cooperation between the international community and the Somali government. The agreement allows foreign countries and organizations to take “all necessary measures” against pirates in the air, on land and at sea. Access is limited to a 12-month period, but experts agree that it will take a long-term commitment from the international community to restore the rule of law and provide a safe and secure environment in the region.
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