thedrifter
02-15-08, 07:44 AM
02-02-2008
PIRACY IN THE 21ST CENTURY -- AMERICAN SAILORS ASSIGNED NEW MISSION, BUT DO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS AND RULES OF ENGAGEMENT TO SUCCEED?
American sailors have been given an additional mission, without much in the way of good, solid ROE that will assist them in getting their mission accomplished...
Piracy is alive and well in the 21st Century! Mariners must stand at the ready!
Somalia has been a hot bed of Al-Qaeda activity and its coastal waters are equally dangerous. Pirates working independently or as proxies, often unscathed, have hijacked merchant ships, ransomed, injured or killed merchant crew and seized cargo. Mariners can sound alarms and man the fire hoses to repel boarders but have few options when it comes to their own defense.
The US Navy formed Task Force 150 to shut down this menace. Naval warships are now patrolling off the Horn of Africa but the rules of engagement and pursuit have hampered their efforts. Risk analysis has permeated all activities. Even so, these stepped up efforts have helped but will not solve the problem. Pirates have grown bolder and far more violent. Having six or seven ships patrolling the Somali coastline without friends, intelligence, and knowledge of where the coves and inlets are used for pirate lairs is a stopgap measure at best.
The US Navy should look to its history and the Barbary Wars on how to put an end to this problem because it is it will not go away especially when there is growing evidence that many in the government are in league with these cut-throats. Globally there were 263 acts of piracy in 2007, up 10% from 2006. Somali and Nigerian waters are the worst and the US Navy and merchant mariners are being put to the ultimate test. The pirates are running wild, and the history of the region is plagued with corruption, graft, tribalism and cruelty beyond the western mind’s comprehension. Sufficient naval and air patrols can make the difference.
Back in October 2007 the waters around the Horn of Africa saw plenty of action. The USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) responded to a hijacking approximately 70 miles northeast of Mogadishu. Pirates had come along side and boarded the North Korean freighter Dai Hong Dan. The pirates managed to take control of the bridge, but when the Williams came in range the Dai Hong Dan crew stormed the bridge and regained control, but not without a deadly fight. When the melee was over, two pirates were dead and five were captured. Three wounded North Korean crew members were treated aboard the guided-missile destroyer. The captured pirates were kept aboard the Dai Hong Dan. There present whereabouts are unknown.
Another recent incident, all to familiar to anyone who plys these waters, involved two speed boats with gunmen that came up along side the Panamanian-flagged MV Golden Nori, enroute from Singapore to Israel. The merchant ship was hijacked off the Socotra archipelago near the Horn of Africa. Fortunately, the MV Golden Nori radioed for help before losing control. The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and her sister ship, the USS Porter (DDG-78) responded.
The Porter opened fire and sank the speed boats tied to the MV Golden Nori's stern before the Burke took over shadowing the hijacked vessel. The Burke pursued these pirates after entering Somali waters with the permission of the troubled transitional government in Mogadishu, generally warships have stayed outside the 12-mile limit when pursuing pirates, thus giving safe haven to the pirates.
When the shots were fired, it was not known the MV Golden Nori was filled with highly flammable benzene. Benzene is used as a solvent and to make plastics and synthetic fabrics, but it also has other applications and is a key-ingredient for bomb-making terrorists.
The fate of the MV Golden Nori has yet to be detemined since she is still in the hands of the pirates. The Burke may have been given permission to shadow the pirates into Somali waters but could do little else to rescue the vessel or win the release of her crew.
The International Anti-Piracy Center was created in 2006 and is based in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. The center received initial funding by the UN’s International Maritime Organization. This may sound like another all talk but no action agency but it is a focal point to combat a problem by monitoring. Yes this tiger has no teeth but the IAPC mission is to detect distress signals from merchant mariners and mobilize available help. I guess you always need someone to yell the sky is falling.
The IAPC sends out regular warnings about attacks, potential threats and action that should be taken, it has been found that vessels that increase speed and take evasive maneuvers avoid boarding, while those that slow down are boarded, taken to the Somali coastline and released after successful ransom payment, often after protracted negotiations of as much as 11 weeks. Maybe the obvious does need to be spelt out. Maybe a .50 caliber gun needs to be installed on the deck of some of these MVs. Some vessels like tankers travel at slow speed and have low freeboard making them prime targets while a car carrier is a hard target, a formidable fortress at sea. However, the foregone conclusion is that mariners would be safe if we allowed them to defend their vessels with arms if need be.
Sure pirates board a ship in the dark and try to steal whatever they can get access to. They'll try to take tools and supplies from deck lockers and in port, they might even take mooring lines while the ship is at anchor! Sometimes they'll try to hold the captain at gunpoint and make him empty the safe. The problem can run the gamut and will continue to prevail with the degree of lawlessness tolerated and security implemented. A cop can walk a beat, but can only be so many places at one time.
Other measures have been taken to combat this problem. About three years ago the new ISPS Code (International Ship Port Security) took effect. Now ships have to have a vessel security plan (inspected and approved by their flag state) and comply with it. Meaning basic procedures have been established for securing the ship, inspecting IDs and bags at the gangway and documenting crew responsibilities with port officials. Great! The crew is now safe from themselves.
In the event of armed attack there is a new ship-alarm system that can be activated. This is the 911 call of the high seas. This transmission identifies the vessel, it's location and that it is under attack. The International Anti-Piracy Center in Kenya monitors for this broadcast. Did you know the average time for police to take to respond to a house alarm is 30 minutes? The average time it takes to burglarize a house is 5 minutes.
The International Maritime Organization has recommended that merchant ships be unarmed. There is no international law to protect a merchant mariner who kills in defense of his ship. Things can get pretty dicey depending on where you are if you kill a pirate. The IMO has made it their business to disarm merchant ships while promoting ideas such as the installation of an electrified fence around the deck area on all ships to deter hijackers.
Until more serious action is taken to thwart the pirate threat the only thing a merchant mariner can do is lay out fire hoses and stand a lookout. Hopefully the pirates will flee when alarms are sounded.
Ellie
PIRACY IN THE 21ST CENTURY -- AMERICAN SAILORS ASSIGNED NEW MISSION, BUT DO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS AND RULES OF ENGAGEMENT TO SUCCEED?
American sailors have been given an additional mission, without much in the way of good, solid ROE that will assist them in getting their mission accomplished...
Piracy is alive and well in the 21st Century! Mariners must stand at the ready!
Somalia has been a hot bed of Al-Qaeda activity and its coastal waters are equally dangerous. Pirates working independently or as proxies, often unscathed, have hijacked merchant ships, ransomed, injured or killed merchant crew and seized cargo. Mariners can sound alarms and man the fire hoses to repel boarders but have few options when it comes to their own defense.
The US Navy formed Task Force 150 to shut down this menace. Naval warships are now patrolling off the Horn of Africa but the rules of engagement and pursuit have hampered their efforts. Risk analysis has permeated all activities. Even so, these stepped up efforts have helped but will not solve the problem. Pirates have grown bolder and far more violent. Having six or seven ships patrolling the Somali coastline without friends, intelligence, and knowledge of where the coves and inlets are used for pirate lairs is a stopgap measure at best.
The US Navy should look to its history and the Barbary Wars on how to put an end to this problem because it is it will not go away especially when there is growing evidence that many in the government are in league with these cut-throats. Globally there were 263 acts of piracy in 2007, up 10% from 2006. Somali and Nigerian waters are the worst and the US Navy and merchant mariners are being put to the ultimate test. The pirates are running wild, and the history of the region is plagued with corruption, graft, tribalism and cruelty beyond the western mind’s comprehension. Sufficient naval and air patrols can make the difference.
Back in October 2007 the waters around the Horn of Africa saw plenty of action. The USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) responded to a hijacking approximately 70 miles northeast of Mogadishu. Pirates had come along side and boarded the North Korean freighter Dai Hong Dan. The pirates managed to take control of the bridge, but when the Williams came in range the Dai Hong Dan crew stormed the bridge and regained control, but not without a deadly fight. When the melee was over, two pirates were dead and five were captured. Three wounded North Korean crew members were treated aboard the guided-missile destroyer. The captured pirates were kept aboard the Dai Hong Dan. There present whereabouts are unknown.
Another recent incident, all to familiar to anyone who plys these waters, involved two speed boats with gunmen that came up along side the Panamanian-flagged MV Golden Nori, enroute from Singapore to Israel. The merchant ship was hijacked off the Socotra archipelago near the Horn of Africa. Fortunately, the MV Golden Nori radioed for help before losing control. The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and her sister ship, the USS Porter (DDG-78) responded.
The Porter opened fire and sank the speed boats tied to the MV Golden Nori's stern before the Burke took over shadowing the hijacked vessel. The Burke pursued these pirates after entering Somali waters with the permission of the troubled transitional government in Mogadishu, generally warships have stayed outside the 12-mile limit when pursuing pirates, thus giving safe haven to the pirates.
When the shots were fired, it was not known the MV Golden Nori was filled with highly flammable benzene. Benzene is used as a solvent and to make plastics and synthetic fabrics, but it also has other applications and is a key-ingredient for bomb-making terrorists.
The fate of the MV Golden Nori has yet to be detemined since she is still in the hands of the pirates. The Burke may have been given permission to shadow the pirates into Somali waters but could do little else to rescue the vessel or win the release of her crew.
The International Anti-Piracy Center was created in 2006 and is based in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. The center received initial funding by the UN’s International Maritime Organization. This may sound like another all talk but no action agency but it is a focal point to combat a problem by monitoring. Yes this tiger has no teeth but the IAPC mission is to detect distress signals from merchant mariners and mobilize available help. I guess you always need someone to yell the sky is falling.
The IAPC sends out regular warnings about attacks, potential threats and action that should be taken, it has been found that vessels that increase speed and take evasive maneuvers avoid boarding, while those that slow down are boarded, taken to the Somali coastline and released after successful ransom payment, often after protracted negotiations of as much as 11 weeks. Maybe the obvious does need to be spelt out. Maybe a .50 caliber gun needs to be installed on the deck of some of these MVs. Some vessels like tankers travel at slow speed and have low freeboard making them prime targets while a car carrier is a hard target, a formidable fortress at sea. However, the foregone conclusion is that mariners would be safe if we allowed them to defend their vessels with arms if need be.
Sure pirates board a ship in the dark and try to steal whatever they can get access to. They'll try to take tools and supplies from deck lockers and in port, they might even take mooring lines while the ship is at anchor! Sometimes they'll try to hold the captain at gunpoint and make him empty the safe. The problem can run the gamut and will continue to prevail with the degree of lawlessness tolerated and security implemented. A cop can walk a beat, but can only be so many places at one time.
Other measures have been taken to combat this problem. About three years ago the new ISPS Code (International Ship Port Security) took effect. Now ships have to have a vessel security plan (inspected and approved by their flag state) and comply with it. Meaning basic procedures have been established for securing the ship, inspecting IDs and bags at the gangway and documenting crew responsibilities with port officials. Great! The crew is now safe from themselves.
In the event of armed attack there is a new ship-alarm system that can be activated. This is the 911 call of the high seas. This transmission identifies the vessel, it's location and that it is under attack. The International Anti-Piracy Center in Kenya monitors for this broadcast. Did you know the average time for police to take to respond to a house alarm is 30 minutes? The average time it takes to burglarize a house is 5 minutes.
The International Maritime Organization has recommended that merchant ships be unarmed. There is no international law to protect a merchant mariner who kills in defense of his ship. Things can get pretty dicey depending on where you are if you kill a pirate. The IMO has made it their business to disarm merchant ships while promoting ideas such as the installation of an electrified fence around the deck area on all ships to deter hijackers.
Until more serious action is taken to thwart the pirate threat the only thing a merchant mariner can do is lay out fire hoses and stand a lookout. Hopefully the pirates will flee when alarms are sounded.
Ellie