Somalia piracy has reached crisis point

There is broad agreement that the rising poverty levels in Somalia are fuelling the rampant instances of piracy against merchant shipping in the Horn of Africa region. The situation is now self-stimulating with seaborne supplies of aid being badly disrupted, thus exacerbating the needs of many starving people and facilitating further instances of offshore lawlessness.

The situation is now so dire that some observers believe that piracy and its 'fruits' have become the largest, single industry on that impoverished land.

The time has come for a concerted and effective international effort, not only to protect shipping as a whole, but also to specifically protect UN aid vessels so that they arrive safely to be able to discharge their cargo that should then be policed until it reaches the needy - because until the root cause of the situation is eliminated, the erasure of piracy will remain exceedingly difficult.

The latest known attack (last week) against an Egyptian ship has brought the total this year to 31 with the number of seized vessels now moving into double figures. The 31st incident follows closely that of a small French yacht with two persons on board - the pirates have demanded $1 million (Dh3.67 billion) for the safe return of the crew and their boat with the French foreign ministry stating on September 3 that it had summoned a crisis team to work on the situation.

The French have a track record in taking action against Somali pirates: last April they conducted a commando raid that resulted in the seizure of six pirates and the part-recovery of a ransom paid for another (larger) French yacht and its crew of 30. Full marks to the French and we await to see what they might do regarding the current yacht seizure, but a broader, international effort on the part of all concerned nations would be appropriate to try and resolve the overall, appalling situation.

Address the root cause

For two years the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) lobbied the United Nations to galvanise international action against this piracy and (last June) this resulted in the adoption of a UN Resolution that authorised foreign naval vessels to enter Somali territorial waters, initially for six months, to suppress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea. Though it is a move in the right direction, yes, it is unlikely to be overwhelmingly effective because of the strings attached. Furthermore, the whole reactive mode of this resolution does not address the root cause of the problem.

The recent announcement that coalition forces would enforce a safe corridor through the Gulf of Aden is also a welcome development, but it too is reactive! Proactive measures are required and proactive means prevention at the source of the problem - namely the lawlessness inherent within Somalia itself.

Now there is an opportunity for international intervention that would certainly help a distraught nation and also help international interests. Shipping is the lifeblood of all economies and as such it must be protected. Effective humanitarian action in Somalia would ease a big problem that is an overwhelming threat to shipping in one of the busiest and most important routes.

- The writer is a Dubai-based marine consultant.