Piracy off the coast of Somalia

rdf:langString Piracy off the coast of Somalia

rdf:langString Piracy off the coast of Somalia

rdf:langString Australia

rdf:langString Belgium

rdf:langString Canada

rdf:langString China

rdf:langString Finland

rdf:langString France

rdf:langString Germany

rdf:langString India

rdf:langString Italy

rdf:langString Japan

rdf:langString Netherlands

rdf:langString New Zealand

rdf:langString Norway

rdf:langString Somalia

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rdf:langString Sweden

rdf:langString United Arab Emirates

rdf:langString United Kingdom

rdf:langString United States

rdf:langString Piracy off the coast of Somalia

rdf:langString Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean

rdf:langString Ongoing

rdf:langString Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas and has a long and troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. It was initially a threat to international fishing vessels, expanding to international shipping since the consolidation of states phase of the Somali Civil War around 2000. Somali waters have high fisheries production potential, but the sustainability of those fisheries is compromised by the presence of foreign fishing vessels, many of them fishing illegally. The Somali domestic fishing sector is small and poorly developed, whereas foreign vessels have fished in Somali waters for at least seven decades. Some foreign vessels and their crew have been viewed by Somali artisanal fishers as a threat to their traditional livelihoods. Many foreign vessels directly compete for fish, reducing fish populations and destroying marine habitat through bottom trawling.Foreign fishing has increased more than twenty-fold since 1981, and the most rapid increase occurred during the 1990s after the collapse of the Federal government under Barre and the ensuing civil war. Somalia was designated as a failed state, with extensive internal conflicts and major instability continuing until 2012, when the Federal Government of Somalia was established, which despite the intervention and support of foreign forces, could not fully establish its authority with threats from Al Shabab, so Somalia remained characterised as a ‘fragile state’.This disorder meant there was no longer effective government policing of Somali waters by the Somali navy, a weakness then exploited by often large foreign fishing boats, further threatening the livelihoods of local Somali fishing communities. They in part responded by forming armed groups to deter what they perceived as invaders. These groups, using small boats such as skiffs and motorised boats, would sometimes hold vessels and crew for ransom. This practice grew into a lucrative trade, where large ransom payments were demanded and often paid. These groups were then considered to be pirates, especially after they began hijacking non-fishing commercial vessels. With the region badly affected by poverty and government corruption, there was little political motivation at the local level to deal with the crisis. Large numbers of unemployed Somali youth began to see it as a means of supporting their families. International organizations began to express concern over the new wave of piracy due to its high cost to global trade and the incentive to profiteer by insurance companies and others. Some believe that elements within Somalia collaborated with the pirates both to strengthen their political influence as well as for financial gain. After the 1998 United States embassy bombing on 7 August, the USS Cole bombing on October 12, 2000 in Aden, Yemen, followed by the 9/11 attacks on the USA, the US Navy decided to step up its activities around the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, by establishing in stages a multinational anti-piracy coalition known as Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), with an Area of Responsibility (AOR) including some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, spanning over two million square miles, covering the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman (but not inside the Arabian Gulf, which is the responsibility of CTF 152). This area is a vital artery of world trade from the Far East to Europe and the US, with thousands of shipping movements per year including the transportation of over 27 million barrels of oil.The participating nations have included Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Spain, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Command of CTF 150 generally rotates between nations on a four monthly basis. By 2010, these patrols succeeded in steadily reducing the number of piracy incidents. In early 2017, a few incidents of piracy were reported as the navies of Asian and European nations began to more actively rescue hijacked ships, including the bulk carrier OS35. By November 2017, there were no major vessels or hostages remaining in pirate captivity. In the UN Secretary-General’s report issued December 2021 on the situation off the Somalia coast, joint counter-piracy efforts had resulted in a steady decline in attacks and hijackings since 2011. Despite this apparent decline, it was considered that a threat of resurgence remained. In view of this, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2608 under Chapter VII of the Charter, which provides for enforcement action, condemning piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Somali coast, underscoring that it could exacerbate instability by introducing “illicit cash that fuels crime, corruption and terrorism”. Overall globally, incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery attacks reached the lowest recorded level since 1994, according to ICC International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) annual reports up to March 2022. The IMB attributes the drop in incidents to “vigorous action” taken by authorities, but is calling for continued coordination and vigilance to ensure the long-term protection of seafarers. Specifically for Somali pirates, in 2018, there were only 2 instances of piracy and in 2021 one in Gulf of Aden by Somali pirates, with most piracy now occurring off West Africa.While the direct threat of attacks by Somali-based pirates in the former piracy hotspot off the Somali coast appears to have decreased, resulting in a further downward revision and reduction of the High Risk Area in September 2021, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre continues to encourage vigilance among shipmasters, particularly when transiting close to the Somali coast.