How to Fight the 21st Century Pirate

A century ago, the world had no trouble combating piracy. Why then do the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden still pose such a threat today?

Partly because no Americans or Canadians are involved at the moment, the issue of Somali pirates marauding the Gulf of Aden into the Indian Ocean, does not seem very important.

But it is a continuing cancer that defies solution.

Released after 388 days of being held hostage, a British couple – Paul and Heather Chandler – who were captured on their yacht near the Seychelles, are free after something like $750,000 ransom was paid.

Compared to the millions pirates usually demand (and get) when they seize oil tankers and such, the Chandlers’ ransom was modest – down from the equivalent of some $15 million initially demanded.

Apparently, the Chandlers had sold everything for this once-in-a-lifetime trip as they approached retirement age. It took private fund-raising to get the ransom money, since the British government rightly refused to accede to the pirates’ demands.

One can rejoice for the Chandlers, but their tale does nothing to curtail or limit – much less eliminate – the practice of piracy in that lethal part of the world.

So far, this year, something like 40 ships have been seized by pirates, with some 800 crew and individuals held by pirates until ransom is paid. Most of those held are not from private yachts like the Chandlers, but are Indians, Pakistanis, Asian or East European crews, about whom the rest of the world doesn’t care. They are expendable.

Surely the civilized world should be able to agree to terminate piracy. Heck, we could stop it a century ago, so it shouldn’t be beyond us now. But it entails tough decisions.

Apparently the Chandlers were seized while those on a Royal Navy ship watched, but didn’t do anything for fear of endangering the Chandlers’ lives. That’s kind of pathetic – mindful of the Canadian warship on piracy duty which held up a “stop” sign, hoping to deter pirates.

Canada says it has to release any pirates captured, because we’ve no jurisdiction to take legal action.

It strikes me that countries in the business of curtailing piracy could agree that pirate ships, or boats, should be blown out of the water if necessary. Even if hostages are at risk, action should be taken to fight pirates, not look the other way.

It’s true that these pirates don’t want to kill hostages – just ransom them. Because hostages are not maltreated, just held prisoner, is a sorry reason for tolerating the practice.

Piracy cannot be defeated from the sea alone, but must be coordinated by action on land. That means Somalia, home base for most pirates.

China, Russia, India, the U.S., Britain, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany are among the alliance of sea nations combating Gulf piracy-- all with UN Security Council encouragement.

So it shouldn’t be tough to solve. It’s not a thorny issue like Israeli settlements on the West Bank.

As long as ransoms are paid, piracy will continue. Last year, U.S. Navy SEALS shot and killed three pirates holding the skipper of an American ship, the Maersk Alabama, and rescued him.

Yet in another incident, the Dutch navy captured pirates and freed 20 hostages – and then let the pirates go. Like Canada, the Dutch felt they had no legal right to hold the pirates – an attitude that hardly dissuades piracy.

At least the American solution results in three fewer pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and is something the civilized world might consider dealing with in the coming year.