Analysis by Johnny Achkar, Featured Writer

May 22nd, 2021

When one thinks of pirates, the first thing that comes to mind is that of centuries old buccaneers such as Blackbeard and Francis Drake, or they might just surprise you and start humming the catchy tune of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. Either way, the concept of pirates has always been attached to the past. Nonetheless, piracy has emerged as a significant challenge to ship transportation in several parts of the world in recent years. Pirate attacks have risen by 75 percent in the last decade, according to data collected by the International Maritime Organization. Modern pirates have adapted to the times and have ditched swords and wooden legs for night-vision goggles, AK-47s, rocket launchers, and GPS systems. Just as technology might have helped to facilitate the decline of the Robert Louis Stevenson-type of pirates, increased size and speed may have helped merchant vessels escape pursuing pirates, modern pirates have taken advantage of technological progress. 

Eight armed pirates seized the container ship Fouma as it approached the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador, in early April 2020. They fired warning shots at the ship's bridge, boarded it, and opened several shipping crates, stealing undisclosed objects before fleeing in two speedboats. Yet, Ecuador is not necessarily the major piracy hotspot. The Indian Ocean, East Africa, and the Far East, like the South China Sea, South America, and the Caribbean, are today's piracy hotspots. Piracy has recently been rediscovered in the waters between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Somalia, and in the Strait of Malacca. 

The Fouma assault, on the other hand, is a cause for concern. The sea robbers seemed to have had extensive prior knowledge of the ship's cargo, as well as the ship's course and crew. Those are indications that the pirates organized the attack with the aid of the crew or others who had advanced knowledge of the ship. Insider knowledge is uncommon in pirate attacks in general, but it is popular when pirates target large cargo vessels and tanker ships, which accounts for roughly one-third of all pirate attacks. Piracy off the coast of South America, as well as off the coast of West Africa, has risen in recent years.

Modern piracy is fueled by numerous reasons, causes close to those which fueled the Somali uprising a decade ago: corrupt states beset by political violence, pervasive economic insecurity, and quick access to weapons. Ultimately, the majority of piracy affects developing nations and corrupt states. In an area marked by lawlessness, piracy is a lucrative and appealing trade, taking in multi-million dollar ransoms for the release of captives, vehicles, and cargoes. This is because terrorists, rebels, and other gangs see smuggling from moving ships as an opportunity to fund their land-based wars. Militant groups in Nigeria, for example, siphon oil from tanker ships and resell it on the black market, especially in the Niger River Delta region and the Gulf of Guinea. Poor and jobless people in Venezuela and Brazil may see opportunities offshore because of economic hardship. The economic challenges are exacerbated by ineffective police and corrupt politicians.

The Malacca Strait is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, as well as one of the most dangerous. The Strait of Malacca, which connects Malaysia and Indonesia, is as narrow as 25 miles wide but transports a quarter of the world's traded goods per year. As a result, contemporary piracy often targets the strait and its environs. Many people associate modern-day piracy with Somalia's coast. While such waterways are often avoided, the areas around them may be equally hazardous. Piracy has almost halted humanitarian relief supplies to Somalia and driven up the cost of shipping protection. When ships gradually prefer to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope, regional economies struggle. Given the number of oil tankers in the region, it appears that an environmental crisis on the scale of the Exxon Valdez is only a matter of time. Modern piracy is especially active in the Bab el Mandeb strait, which links the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Likewise, the waters just off the coast of Yemen are dangerous. 

The medical and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic seem to pose a serious threat to countries with limited capital and poor governments. Countries in West Africa and South America are also having difficulty policing their territorial waters. When hospitals become overburdened with COVID-19 patients, policymakers in the affected areas will almost inevitably turn their public safety priorities away from maritime piracy and toward more pressing issues on land. Pirates will have more chances because of this. The virus can also make it more difficult for crews to defend ships.

The majority of merchant vessel crews are now overworked. If a member of the crew becomes ill, international travel limitations prohibit their replacements from reaching the ship in whichever port it is docked. Consumer demand is currently slowing across the world, which means less traffic, which means less money for shipping firms to invest on security guards or other anti-piracy measures. As a result, pirates would have an easier time targeting ships.

In 2012, Somali pirates abducted journalist Michael Scott Moore and held him captive for almost two and a half years. Michael traveled to Somalia not only for journalistic purposes, but also in part, because of his father. In his memoir, Michael states, "My father, who wasn’t very original, used to say, "Curiosity killed the cat", of course I first went to the Horn of Africa out of curiosity." His fascination with pirates started when he covered a case relating to Somali pirates held in Germany, "I wanted to write about a pirate gang jailed in Hamburg.” he goes on to add, "It represented the first proceeding on German soil against any pirate in more than four centuries."

Michael risked his life by traveling to dangerous and faraway lands because, as he puts it, "I was a writer, with a weakness for big ideas, and my ideas, more than anything, carried me off to Somalia". Before being kidnapped himself by pirates, Michael had the opportunity to interview one, a Somali man who goes by the name of ‘Mustaf Mohammed Sheikh’. Mustaf cited numerous reasons for becoming a pirate. Mohammed surprisingly cited environmental pollution by Westerners as one of the root causes of piracy, “[The] Trawling the coral reefs of Somalia, as well as the dumping of poison on its shores.", "As soon as they stop leaving poison on our beaches and taking fish from our seas, we will stop hijacking ships", the pirate said.[1]

Michael had traveled along Somalia’s coast and through its barren deserts while being accompanied by armed bodyguards. Unfortunately, these bodyguards failed to show up one day, as the he was preparing to on a trip to the airport. He describes the moment he was captured as follows, "A technical car approached the vehicle with its canon aimed through our windshield. It wasn’t even clear when a dozen or so men jumped off, holding weapons. It wasn’t clear, because my brain recoiled in denial. I told myself it was a traffic stop." The pirates then violently attacked Michael, "They wrenched [the door] it open and pounded my wrist with their Kalashnikovs. I had never felt such violent malice at such a close range." He continues to describe the horrific situation as follows, "I let go of the door, and they pulled me into the dust outside and beat me on the head. Maybe death arrives with the same sudden malice, the same transformative shock." 

Michael continues to describe how helpless he felt, "Somebody help me! I shouted while the men slugged my face and broke my glasses in the dust. Of course nobody did. Somalis in the cars behind us, respectful of violence, just watched." Michael was taken away to forest jungles, moving from one prison to another from time to time. He mentions his lowest point as the time his feet were chained at time. Michael strikingly describes his contemplation of suicide as follows," It would have been easy to commit suicide. AK-47s are strewn around like trash. When I wasn't with the other captives, the idea of taking a gun and shooting a few pirates, then myself is not just appealing but also ethical." What kept Michael from executing this plan was the fact that his family and friends would permanently lose him.

After having endured almost two and a half years of miserable treatment at the hands of the pirates, Michael narrates the day he was rescued as follows, "The morning of September 23, 2014, was nothing out of the ordinary. I awoke in the dark and waited for a guard to throw my chains' keys over. I undid the padlocks, went to the bathroom, and returned to a glum-looking bowl of beans." (Moore, 2019). On that day, an American negotiator named Bob contacted him, and informed him that he would be released, as they had paid off the pirates. The pirates kept telling him that he would be free, but he just would not believe them. Eventually a car arrived to pick him up and he was taken to the airport. He would still feel as though his brain was cramped for months. Michael finishes his memoir by recounting his final moments at the airport as the plane received permission to take off.

Piracy may be not be considered an urgent thread today, but it has proven to be a horrifying experience for those who have lived through it. Capturing a few individuals will not solve the problem. Rather, powerful governments must identify the roots of this issue, such as political corruption and environmentalism, and be sincere in their commitment to resolving these issues.

1.     [1] Moore, M. S. (2019). The Desert and the Sea. HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS INC.