Pirates are not the colourful characters of popular film and fiction, Morag Lindsay discovers, as the audacious attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Africa demonstrates
Risky business
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The traditional image of the pirate as a swashbuckling rogue has been blown out of the water by the capture of a Saudi-owned oil tanker, containing 2million barrels of oil, off the Somali coast.
Modern-day pirates are not the eccentric buccaneers popularised by actor Johnny Depp in the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. They are well-armed, well-funded, well-organised gangs who pose an increasing threat to cargo ships on routes between Asia, Europe and the US.
Just under 200 incidents were reported to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in the first nine months of 2008, with the figures rising sharply throughout the rest of the year.
Those who come under attack have described gangs dressed in military fatigues and using satellite phones, GPS equipment, automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades.
The IMB says oil and gas tankers and bulk carriers are the most popular targets for the pirates and the coast of Somalia is a particular danger zone, with Nigeria and Indonesia. This year alone, Somali pirates have hijacked 26 vessels in the region, taking 537 crew members hostage. Nine people have been killed and nine are missing, presumed dead.
IMB director Captain Pottengal Mukundan said: “The number of piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia is unprecedented. Pirates in the Gulf of Aden are growing increasingly brazen, attacking vessels, including tankers and large bulk carriers, with impunity.
“The increased frequency of piracy and heightening levels of violence are of significant concern to the shipping industry and all mariners. The types of attacks, the violence associated with the attacks, the number of hostages taken, and the amounts paid in ransoms for the release of the vessels have all increased considerably.”
Around 16,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden, to the north of the Somali coast, each year, making it one of the world’s busiest sea lanes and a lucrative environment for pirates.
The going ransom rate for vessels captured in the gulf – a vital link between Asia and Europe – is reported to be around $2million.
Piracy has flourished in the region since the outbreak of civil war in Somalia in the early-90s.
It is nearly 10 years since Aberdeen adventurer Alan MacLean, 28, was reportedly killed by pirates off Somalia. The backpacker died while sailing aboard a yacht on a round-the-world trip in September 1999.
Mr MacLean’s parents, Neil and Dorothy, who moved to New Zealand after the tragedy, always disputed the pirate theory, suspecting the yacht’s skipper, Phillipe Sorel, of causing his death. But a four-and-a-half-year investigation by French authorities found pirates were to blame.
Pirate gangs are largely made up of former fishermen who claim their livelihoods have been destroyed by foreign vessels fishing illegally in Somali waters since the collapse of the state.
They have been joined by ex-militiamen, branching out from their activities for local clan warlords, and technical experts whose knowledge of sophisticated equipment like GPS systems has made pirate crews formidable foes.
IMB analysts say many of the Somali gangs use maritime radios to monitor shipping and predict movements. They often operate from “mother ships” – large fishing boats with smaller speedboats on board – enabling them to attack vessels hundreds of miles out to sea.
Sometimes, they send out distress signals or messages saying they are stranded to lure ships.
They attack with Kalashnikov rifles or rocket launchers, board their targets and take them to Somali waters.
In a country where half the population depend on food aid, piracy can appear an attractive career choice.
In a report for the Chatham House think-tank, Roger Middleton said: “Somalia’s fishing industry has collapsed in the last 15 years and its waters are being heavily fished by European, Asian and African ships.
“In a region where legitimate business is difficult, where drought means agriculture is nothing more than subsistence farming, and instability and violence make death a very real prospect, the dangers of engaging in piracy must be weighed against the potentially massive returns.”
Michael Stewart is a director of Peridot International, a Scottish firm of risk management advisers. He has spent several years based in Aberdeen, often with oil and gas firms working in Africa and the Middle East.
He said 300 rounds were fired into one client’s rig recently after the Somali Navy mistook it for a pirate ship.
“Piracy isn’t like it’s portrayed in the films,” he said. “It’s a commercial enterprise and the people behind it are well trained and well equipped with things like satnav and GPS systems. Some of them will have experience in African guerilla movements and some of the takings will go to fund organised crime in the form of drugs and money laundering.”
He advises companies to plan ahead and trust their instincts, get to know the region they’re working in and the risks they are likely to face and have a kidnap and ransom strategy in place if the best-laid precautions fail.
“To be fair, most companies working in that kind of environment are aware of the risks and do take steps to mitigate against them,” he said.
“But what this latest attack has done is take things to the next level, in terms of the scale of the target and the degree of planning that has gone into it.
“It will be interesting to see what happens next. It could be a one-off, but these groups tend to learn from one another, so we might well see more incidents of this nature, particularly given the high value of oil.”
International opposition to piracy off the coast of Somalia has strengthened this year. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution in June, enabling states cooperating with Somalia’s transitional federal government to enter the country's territorial waters and use “all necessary means” to stop “piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent with international law”.
A multinational coalition – Combined Task Force 150 – established a maritime security patrol area in August.
Several Nato nations, including the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Spain and Denmark, have deployed ships to act as escorts and deter attacks. The Indian Navy also sent a warship to the region last month, since most of India’s shipping routes pass through the Gulf. Russian warships are also operating independently in the area.
All vessels in the Gulf are now advised to maintain strict 24-hour radar and anti-piracy watch. Some captains are protecting their boats with electrified “fencing” and satellite tracking.
Since resistance was stepped up, Somali pirates have extended their sphere of activity, resulting in a rise in attacks on ships heading for Mombasa, in Kenya.
This week’s target, the Sirius Star, is not the first oil tanker to be stormed. But it is the farthest Somali pirates have travelled to hijack a ship, and is far south of the maritime security patrol area.
In October, a Spanish military patrol plane dropped smoke canisters on pirates trying to hijack an oil tanker. A Japanese carrier was hit by rocket-propelled grenades in April and an Iranian tanker was chased for 30 minutes by machinegun-wielding pirates in a speedboat.
In April 2008 pirates seized the French luxury yacht Le Ponant carrying 30 crew off Somalia. The captives were released on payment of a ransom. Other targets this year included a Ukrainian ship containing an arms consignment for Kenya, a Malaysian palm oil tanker, a Russian tugboat, a Phillipines chemical tanker and cargo vessels from a variety of nations.
Perhaps most worrying, experts reckon the known incidents are just the tip of the iceberg. Authorities estimate that only between 10-50% of pirate attacks are actually reported so as not to increase insurance premiums.
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