In 2011, Somali pirate activity was at an all-time high with 237 separate incidents at sea, costing the global economy $7 billion. During that year, over 3,800 mariners fell victim to attacks by Somali pirates involving assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Global pursuits caused these pirates to seemingly disappear for years, but after long decline, these renegades have undergone an alarming resurgence, leaving many to wonder whether the peak of Somali piracy will repeat itself once again.
Somali pirates are organized criminals operating off the horn of Africa that hijack commercial vessels and hold crews hostage for multi-million dollar ransoms. Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel, and the northwestern Indian Ocean, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas.
The collapse of the Somali navy in 1991 led to a vacuum that was exploited by foreign fishing boats. This invasion of foreign vessels were viewed by artisanal Somali fishers as threats due to increased competition for fish and a destruction of the marine habitat and declined fish population through processes of bottom trawling. As a result, coastal fishing communities in Somalia formed armed groups as a defensive response against these foreign trawlers, sometimes holding vessels and crews for ransom. These groups eventually came to be known as the infamous Somali pirates, especially after they began hijacking non-fishing commercial vessels after realizing the lucrativeness of the practice. Grievances over illegal fishing and poverty may have led to the emergence of Somali piracy; however, piracy is now an intensely organized enterprise led by very wealthy and powerful individuals. Geographic, economic, law enforcement, and legitimacy-related factors continue to sustain the ongoing presence of these pirates far after their initial emergence.
Most attacks involve two or more small, lightweight boats and utilize the help of motherships, including captured fishing and merchant vessels, to expand the operating range of the small boats farther into the Indian Ocean. When boarding a ship, they do not often actively seek to do harm to their victims. They instead attempt to get into communications with the ship’s bank through radio and telephone where a negotiator, in or somewhere around Somalia, aims to win a large ransom from the bank. These negotiations can go on for hours, some even for days.
The waters in which these pirates operate are some of the busiest in the world as they are key to global trade. Therefore, an international response was necessary to protect commercial vessels sailing through these crucial shipping routes. Following the peak of Somali piracy in 2011, Somali pirate-related action disappeared for years due to coordinated global efforts. Efforts by international navies, the use of private armed security teams, and the stabilizing influence of Somalia’s central government have deterred pirate activity in these waters.
However, Somali piracy has begun to make a comeback: According to a May 12 advisory from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, Somali pirates are holding a minimum of three vessels at any given time. Why is piracy resurging? A leading factor is the decrease in efforts that once led to Somali piracy’s fall. In recent years, the international naval patrols that historically were responsible for the suppression of these pirates have been diverted to the Red Sea and are overstretched, leaving gaps in naval coverage. Additionally, it has been reported that Somali pirates have been gaining increased profits due to the United States’s war with Iran as commercial ships have had to undergo lengthy detours that sail directly into Somali pirate strike zones. While current levels of piracy do stand lower than the 2011 peak, they highlight the value of sustained counter-piracy measures at sea and the adverse effects of diminishing these efforts.
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