Somali Pirates

Lo and behold, there may be one topic that most of the world can rally around - the scourge of Somali pirates. Piracy off the coast of this disastrous African nation has been all over the news as of late. There have been 90 reports of piracy in 2008 by the Somali.

Using vessels that range from large to dinghies, these criminals board a ship, make hostages of the crew, and then ask for ransom for the lives of the hostages. Refer to this map to see worldwide reported pirating incidents for 2008 alone. There are three hotspots. Off the coasts of Somalia, Nigeria, and Indonesia.

Unlike pirates of yesteryear, there has been minimal interest in the captured vessel's merchandise, although a captured Ukrainian freighter was carrying tanks, grenades and a host of other military equipment.  In 2008 alone, these pirates have seized vessels from India, Iran, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Great Britain, France, and many others. The The Saudi vessel was a supertanker holding about $100 Million in oil.

A coalition of several countries has been formed to patrol the Gulf of Arden. To defend against the pirates, commercial vessels are now better equipped to repel an attack. This defensive measure is quite expensive, when one adds the new technology, additional militarily-trained crew that is required, increased insurance costs, and the cost and use of the patrol boats that act as guardians.

This coalition for "pirate-free waters" needs to go a step further by taking the offensive. They should consider patrolling the waters closer to Puntland, on the northern shores of Somalia. This break-away region that is run by warlords holds the highest concentration of these pirates. Once stationed, the coalition should sink any and all vessels that leaves its coast. If they shift to another region, then sink all of those vessels as well. 

We are dealing with a criminal element that becomes increasingly brazen. Think Mogadishu in 1993 with Black Hawk Down. There is nothing that is swashbuckling romantic about the murderous thugs that perpetrate these high-water crimes.

True, many vessels that depart from the Somali coast are innocent fishermen. But that's the problem - these "innocent vessels" are indistinguishable from the pirates. Therefore, they should all be sunk until Somalia learns to conduct itself. Should it not learn, then they can just prey on one another and leave the rest of the world alone.