megimoo
11-29-2008, 08:26 PM
She Sells to Sea-Thugs by the Seashore
What’s the story with those pirates off the Horn of Africa? Who’s behind it? Where do they come from, and where do they go? How do they do it, and how do they get away with it? Why isn’t something being done about it? What IS being done about it? This article will attempt to answer those questions.
First, some facts: So far this year there have been 95 attempted ship seizures by pirates in the waters around the Horn of Africa, 39 of them successful. Besides the ships, there are presently around 268 merchant seamen being held for ransom in Somalia. The pirates have been paid around 30 million dollars this year in extortion fees. They recently demanded 25 million dollars for the oil tanker Sirius Star.
........................................
The Horn of Africa is located at the north-eastern tip of the African continent. It is surrounded on the north by the Gulf of Aden, and along its eastern shore by the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
.............................................
The Horn of Africa is entirely occupied by Somalia, and that is where the pirates are based—and when I say pirates, I’m not referring to a bunch of genteel Jack Sparrows, but a group of nasty, drugged up, sea-thugs. To give credit where it’s due; they’re clever, nasty, drugged up, sea-thugs.
.........................................
snip
...........................................
Somalia is an interesting country. One of the first things you should know about it is, it doesn’t actually exist as a country, per se. There is no overall Somali government. Somalia is NOT part of the surrounding countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti—and that’s about all one can say regarding Somalia’s national identity.
..............................................
Somalia is more correctly understood as a region, as opposed to a country. It is a region of longtime internal strife between: clans, factions, gangs, governments, theocracies, and just plain neighbors.
.....................................
In short, Somalia is a political, economic, and cultural nightmare—and a pirate’s dream.
............................
Somali culture (what’s left of it) is notable for two peculiarities. One of them is FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) in the form of infibulation and clitorectomies. I’ll leave it to the reader to look up the subject, lest I be accused of prurient sensationalism. Consider the subject one more reason to strike Somalia from your list of potential vacation destinations.
..............................
The other peculiarity is called, among other names, qaat, ghat, miraa, jaad, chat, and, most typically—khat. What coca leaves are to regions of South America, khat is to portions of north-west Africa and south-east Arabia. Like coca, khat leaves are brewed in a tea, or more commonly, chewed. Its use is widespread throughout Somalia, and its effects are similar to coca—appetite suppression, mild euphoria, feelings of being “ten feet tall and bullet proof.” Just the thing for a pirate on the go. (Coca should not be confused with cocao, which gives us chocolate, not cocaine).
........................................
One last thing to keep in mind about Somalia: the average life expectancy is 46 years.
............................
Now that I’ve set the stage, I’ll discuss how a typical pirate operation proceeds.
.......................................
The Somali pirates have a widespread network of informants who let them know when ships leave certain harbors. They also utilize the internet, radar (both long and short-range), and radio broadcasts to follow their prey.
...................................
When they are ready to attack they send out a “mother-ship.” This boat (usually a fishing trawler, or dhow) tows several small, swift “attack craft.” These attack craft are often rigid inflatable boats.
..................................
When the pirates are ready to strike, they release the attack craft from the mother-ship. The attack craft then surround the ship that they hope to hijack, and start firing warning shots. I should mention that the pirates interpret the term “warning shot” rather loosely—warning shots sometimes consist of a direct hit by rocket propelled grenades, and automatic weapons fire.
............................................
Once the target-ship stops, the khat-bolstered pirates board her by throwing grapnel equipped rope ladders onto the deck of the ship, or use the ship’s lowered gangway. The hijacked ship’s crew are then rounded up, and the ship’s owners are contacted by radio or internet and asked for money—or else.
..................................
Jeevan D’Souza, one of the crew of the hijacked ship ”Iran Denayat” had this to say about his ship’s capture, “They chased our vessel and then flung a ten meter-long ladder and boarded the ship. As soon as they got on board, they started firing and they were armed with swords and advanced arms and ammunitions.’’
...................................
Regarding the hygiene and eating habits of the pirates, D’Souza opined that if you saw them “You would vomit.” “They never bathed, and ate like pigs,” he said. No Jack Sparrows, indeed.
....................................
Once captured, the ships and their crews are then moved to various locations just offshore of Somalia. The most famous, or infamous, location is Eyl, but other locations are used as well, including Hobyo, Bossaso, and Calula. Mogadishu is an important resupply port for the mother-ships.
......................................
If you have access to Google Earth, you can view an excellent overlay map of the Somali pirate bases at Google Earth Community.
.........................
There are presently around two thousand actual Somali pirates. Add the people who are indirectly involved in the piracy scam, and the numbers skyrocket. Piracy has created a financial windfall for the pirates, and any Somali’s located in their pirate havens – especially those living in Harardhere.
....................................
Harardhere (Xarardheere) is the pirate capital of Somalia, which makes it the pirate capital of the world—somewhat akin to what Port Royal was to old-time Caribbean pirates.
..................................
The leader of the pirates, or at least one of the main leaders, is Mohamed Abdi. Abdi’s nickname is “Afweyne”—Somali for “big mouth.” Whether the other pirates affectionately call him “big mouth” to his face, is something I’m not privy to.
.............................
Something I do know is that Somali’s love their free-spending buccaneers.
...................................
According to an AP report, Sugule Dahir, who runs a shop in the coastal town of Eyl, claims “Business is booming because of the piracy.” She adds, “Internet cafes and telephone shops have opened, and people are just happier than before.” Isn’t that special.
......................................
Ms. Dahir likes selling to sea-thugs by the seashore. She even has a layaway plan for them. “They always take things without paying, and we put them into the book of debts,” she said. “Later,” she added, “when they get the ransom money, they pay us a lot.” We’re talking about a lot of money, and that makes everybody happy—except, of course, the ship owners, and the ship’s crews.
.............................
I’ll say this for the pirates, at least they’re up-front and straight-forward about their methods for redistributing wealth – unlike some politicians I could name.
..............................
So what’s being done to thwart the piracy—anything? Well, yes and no—by which I mean a lot, and very little. Let me explain.
........................
First, let me explain what I mean when I say that very little has been done.
.....................................
Each year some 20,000 ships pass by the Horn of Africa. So far, less than one half of 1% of these ships have been attacked—about one in 600.
..........................
What’s the story with those pirates off the Horn of Africa? Who’s behind it? Where do they come from, and where do they go? How do they do it, and how do they get away with it? Why isn’t something being done about it? What IS being done about it? This article will attempt to answer those questions.
First, some facts: So far this year there have been 95 attempted ship seizures by pirates in the waters around the Horn of Africa, 39 of them successful. Besides the ships, there are presently around 268 merchant seamen being held for ransom in Somalia. The pirates have been paid around 30 million dollars this year in extortion fees. They recently demanded 25 million dollars for the oil tanker Sirius Star.
........................................
The Horn of Africa is located at the north-eastern tip of the African continent. It is surrounded on the north by the Gulf of Aden, and along its eastern shore by the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
.............................................
The Horn of Africa is entirely occupied by Somalia, and that is where the pirates are based—and when I say pirates, I’m not referring to a bunch of genteel Jack Sparrows, but a group of nasty, drugged up, sea-thugs. To give credit where it’s due; they’re clever, nasty, drugged up, sea-thugs.
.........................................
snip
...........................................
Somalia is an interesting country. One of the first things you should know about it is, it doesn’t actually exist as a country, per se. There is no overall Somali government. Somalia is NOT part of the surrounding countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti—and that’s about all one can say regarding Somalia’s national identity.
..............................................
Somalia is more correctly understood as a region, as opposed to a country. It is a region of longtime internal strife between: clans, factions, gangs, governments, theocracies, and just plain neighbors.
.....................................
In short, Somalia is a political, economic, and cultural nightmare—and a pirate’s dream.
............................
Somali culture (what’s left of it) is notable for two peculiarities. One of them is FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) in the form of infibulation and clitorectomies. I’ll leave it to the reader to look up the subject, lest I be accused of prurient sensationalism. Consider the subject one more reason to strike Somalia from your list of potential vacation destinations.
..............................
The other peculiarity is called, among other names, qaat, ghat, miraa, jaad, chat, and, most typically—khat. What coca leaves are to regions of South America, khat is to portions of north-west Africa and south-east Arabia. Like coca, khat leaves are brewed in a tea, or more commonly, chewed. Its use is widespread throughout Somalia, and its effects are similar to coca—appetite suppression, mild euphoria, feelings of being “ten feet tall and bullet proof.” Just the thing for a pirate on the go. (Coca should not be confused with cocao, which gives us chocolate, not cocaine).
........................................
One last thing to keep in mind about Somalia: the average life expectancy is 46 years.
............................
Now that I’ve set the stage, I’ll discuss how a typical pirate operation proceeds.
.......................................
The Somali pirates have a widespread network of informants who let them know when ships leave certain harbors. They also utilize the internet, radar (both long and short-range), and radio broadcasts to follow their prey.
...................................
When they are ready to attack they send out a “mother-ship.” This boat (usually a fishing trawler, or dhow) tows several small, swift “attack craft.” These attack craft are often rigid inflatable boats.
..................................
When the pirates are ready to strike, they release the attack craft from the mother-ship. The attack craft then surround the ship that they hope to hijack, and start firing warning shots. I should mention that the pirates interpret the term “warning shot” rather loosely—warning shots sometimes consist of a direct hit by rocket propelled grenades, and automatic weapons fire.
............................................
Once the target-ship stops, the khat-bolstered pirates board her by throwing grapnel equipped rope ladders onto the deck of the ship, or use the ship’s lowered gangway. The hijacked ship’s crew are then rounded up, and the ship’s owners are contacted by radio or internet and asked for money—or else.
..................................
Jeevan D’Souza, one of the crew of the hijacked ship ”Iran Denayat” had this to say about his ship’s capture, “They chased our vessel and then flung a ten meter-long ladder and boarded the ship. As soon as they got on board, they started firing and they were armed with swords and advanced arms and ammunitions.’’
...................................
Regarding the hygiene and eating habits of the pirates, D’Souza opined that if you saw them “You would vomit.” “They never bathed, and ate like pigs,” he said. No Jack Sparrows, indeed.
....................................
Once captured, the ships and their crews are then moved to various locations just offshore of Somalia. The most famous, or infamous, location is Eyl, but other locations are used as well, including Hobyo, Bossaso, and Calula. Mogadishu is an important resupply port for the mother-ships.
......................................
If you have access to Google Earth, you can view an excellent overlay map of the Somali pirate bases at Google Earth Community.
.........................
There are presently around two thousand actual Somali pirates. Add the people who are indirectly involved in the piracy scam, and the numbers skyrocket. Piracy has created a financial windfall for the pirates, and any Somali’s located in their pirate havens – especially those living in Harardhere.
....................................
Harardhere (Xarardheere) is the pirate capital of Somalia, which makes it the pirate capital of the world—somewhat akin to what Port Royal was to old-time Caribbean pirates.
..................................
The leader of the pirates, or at least one of the main leaders, is Mohamed Abdi. Abdi’s nickname is “Afweyne”—Somali for “big mouth.” Whether the other pirates affectionately call him “big mouth” to his face, is something I’m not privy to.
.............................
Something I do know is that Somali’s love their free-spending buccaneers.
...................................
According to an AP report, Sugule Dahir, who runs a shop in the coastal town of Eyl, claims “Business is booming because of the piracy.” She adds, “Internet cafes and telephone shops have opened, and people are just happier than before.” Isn’t that special.
......................................
Ms. Dahir likes selling to sea-thugs by the seashore. She even has a layaway plan for them. “They always take things without paying, and we put them into the book of debts,” she said. “Later,” she added, “when they get the ransom money, they pay us a lot.” We’re talking about a lot of money, and that makes everybody happy—except, of course, the ship owners, and the ship’s crews.
.............................
I’ll say this for the pirates, at least they’re up-front and straight-forward about their methods for redistributing wealth – unlike some politicians I could name.
..............................
So what’s being done to thwart the piracy—anything? Well, yes and no—by which I mean a lot, and very little. Let me explain.
........................
First, let me explain what I mean when I say that very little has been done.
.....................................
Each year some 20,000 ships pass by the Horn of Africa. So far, less than one half of 1% of these ships have been attacked—about one in 600.
..........................