AFRICA: Contemporary Piracy off the Horn of Africa
There were 115 reported pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia in 2008. Of those attacks, 46 resulted in the seizure of a commercial vessel by Somali pirates. The average ransom for the release of hijacked vessels increased from $1 million US dollars in July of 2008, to $1.5 million by December. At the time of writing 12 vessels are being held along with approximately 400 crew members in pirate towns along Somalia’s unlawful coasts. The Gulf of Aden (GOA), where most of the attacks have occurred, and through which 20,000 commercial vessels transit each year, is slowly being choked off as a viable shipping route. More and more shipping companies are opting to take the long route around the Cape of Good Hope rather than risk an attack or a hijacking, and insurance rates for vessels transiting the GOA have increased ten-fold in the last four months. Despite the increased presence of warships in the region, piracy in the Gulf of Aden and along Somalia’s eastern coast is escalating and will get worse before it gets better. This article looks at the issue of contemporary maritime piracy off the Horn of Africa from a strategic perspective. It seeks to understand the crucial variables involved in order to predict how the issue will evolve. Accordingly, it should be of use to both scholars and citizens seeking a deeper understanding of the issue, as well as those with commercial interests being affected by Somali piracy. Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute (15 December 2008)