In the past ten days, international naval forces have captured 26 pirates. During the week of February 9th, the IMB reported six ships were attacked unsuccessfully by Somalian pirates, including British, Indian and Singapore-managed vessels. Five Somalian pirates captured by the Danish frigate Absalon on January 2nd have been successfully extradited to the Netherlands to stand trial for their attack on the Samanyolu, a Netherlands-Antilles vessel.
On 29th January, pirates seized the LPG tanker Longchamp. This attack was particularly notable as for the first time, it occurred in darkness (40 minutes before sunrise), and was also the first time an LPG vessel had been taken.
Some general patterns have emerged. The most vulnerable vessels appear to be those transiting the Gulf of Aden at less than 15 knots in daylight, and those with a low freeboard or fully laden. Contact with Coalition forces makes a significant difference and naval advice is that owners take steps to avoid attacks, attempt to deter those that are threatened and if at all possible, delay attackers until help can arrive.
The recent wave of Somali pirate attacks resulted in the following numbers of vessels taken: 7 in August, 9 in September, 5 in October, 9 in November and 4 in December. The total for 2008 was 42 vessels hijacked and 815 crew taken hostage off Somalia / Gulf of Aden.
At any given time, Somali groups hold up to 15 vessels, together with their crews whilst negotiations for release take place. The underlying civil instability will require a collective international political effort at Government level before it can be improved. In the shorter term, the most urgent task for international legislators is the establishment of an appropriate jurisdiction which would enable the prosecution of pirates – such a mechanism would need to balance the security of international trade against the freedom of the seas.
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