The British media is alive with concern over the kidnapping of a couple from Kent who were sailing their yacht near the Seychelles on 23 October. Paul and Rachel Chandler are reportedly being treated well, though the kidnapping is being taken as seriously as possible by the British authorities as public concern focuses on the unfolding story. The British Government is in the unenviable position where they need to negotiate the release of the couple but are not really given the mandate to offer a ransom. Unlike shipping companies which are usually targeted, they have no insurance money to dip into for situations like this. They are also not willing to encourage any more kidnappings of British nationals.

Only recently, in April, members of the US citizenry were also forced to sit up and take note as pirates held one of their countrymen for ransom. In this instance however, US President Barack Obama authorised a rather spectacular rescue as snipers killed three of the four pirates, thus releasing the captive, Captain Phillips. The British Navy may be forced to attempt something similar, but will also have to take cognisance of the failed rescue attempt by French Special Forces in March which saw its owner killed.

The modern face of piracy

In the last few decades the term “piracy” has generally been used to refer to people who make illegal copies of intellectually protected material such as music and films. However, Somalis have started to give the title back to their rightful owners as water-borne kidnappers and thieves prey upon the nearby shipping lines. The thin strip of the Gulf of Aden has been plagued since the 1990’s (starting with the Somali Civil War) by pirate attacks against international shipping. Seeing as a great many states fear attempts to disrupt their shipping, the Gulf of Aden has become increasingly patrolled by forces bent on stopping piracy. This has resulted in pirate operations spreading further into the Indian Ocean, attacking routes bound for Tanzania, the Seychelles and Kenya to name a few.

A typical modus operandi is for an “investor” to hire men to take fast speedboats with a small cache of arms (specifically Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers or RPGs) which will often fire a warning shot at the bridge of the commercial vessel, a threat that is generally adequate for halting a ship. In spite of their expectation of attack by the crew, and their preventative measures (such as water cannons and evasive manoeuvres), civilians with their lives thus threatened will generally comply with the pirates’ wishes and face the boarding. This is then to be followed by kidnapping and lengthy ransom negotiations.

The attack group will generally consist of ex-militia men, ex-fishermen (who know the waters well) and technical experts who will operate GPS’ and satellite phones which are vital for communicating ransom demands. This group will generally take the captured vessels and crew back to their bases on land and wait out the negotiations. After the ransom exchange is complete the money will generally be split at around 30% for the assault crew, 20% for the land base and local community and 50% to the financiers.

Targets for piracy

Since this resurgence of piracy in the 1990s, the main targets for attacks were commercial ships and especially carriers sent by the World Health Organisation (WHO) who had to start to rely on warship escorts in order to protect aid shipments into Africa. In these cases it was often the cargo itself that were the targets but eventually the standard was to ask for a ransom. Even recently when the cargo was a load of Russian tanks for which a market could be easily found in the war-torn Somalia, the pirates would stick to their custom of asking for ransom. This system is also self-perpetuating as the companies which send ships through these waters take out insurance against piracy. The pirates know this and target them specifically for the ease in which the companies can arrange the ransom money.

The current crisis regarding the British couple, the Chandlers, has engendered a lot of ill-will towards the two as many people see their actions of sailing in pirate infested waters as foolhardy. However, in their defence, private yachts are very rarely targeted. Also, the waters in which they were sailing are quite a bit further afield than the usual pirate zones.

It can however probably still be judged as an unnecessary risk considering that this recent popularity in piracy has ample examples which prove that it is about money and opportunism. There are no limitations beyond what the short and long-term profits dictate. This will prove to be a more difficult negotiation for the pirates, but perhaps a perfect operation for a team with extra time on their hands which may be too small to attempt seizing a commercial ship.

Steps to combat piracy

2009 has seen over 130 pirate attacks with more than 30 ships successfully captured. This in spite of the fact that 16 countries have an armada of 27 ships operating the troubled waters. The ships are in constant contact with each other and also with the commercial ships which brave the straights of the Gulf of Aden. The largest contingents belong to China, Russia, Sweden, Turkey and the US.

Recent additions to combat the threat include July’s resurrection of the Transitional Federal Government’s (TFG) Navy and the recent training of 500 marines in Mogadishu. The navy is hoping to become 5,000 strong. Also, a British company has developed radar that will be ready for trial early next year. This radar is able to pick up even the smallest vessels (which the pirates tend to favour) and is hoped will change the face of the war against piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

The unfortunate truth is that even with all of this multilateral support against piracy, the refugee camps of Somalia and especially Puntland are full of potential recruits for piracy. Piracy (and the financial benefits it affords) is very attractive for people who are used to living below the starvation line in squalid conditions. The support base for these operations are also ample as it has been found that even Puntland officials were supporting the lucrative piracy operations off of its coasts. It has also been reported that in the coastal town of Haardere which is under the control of the insurgent forces of Hizbul Islam and Al Shabaab and at this stage beyond the control of the TFG, the pirates receive substantial unofficial support from the Islamic insurgents for a percentage of the profits. Therefore the larger Somali issue will have to be addressed along with that of its pirates.

NOTES:

(1) Andre Lotz is an Analyst with Consultancy Africa Intelligence's Conflict & Terrorism Unit
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