Maritime Piracy

In waterways around the world, armed gangs of pirates wreak havoc with trade routes, interfering with the delivery of cargo, fuel, and relief supplies. They hold crews for ransom and steal millions of dollars in goods every year. Dormant for generations, the crime of piracy, one of the world's most enduring criminal plagues, has returned.

The European colonization of the Americas, with much of its wealth exposed on the sea, led to what has been termed the golden age of piracy, 1660–1730. This was the era of Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and other notorious pirates of the Caribbean. The era ended only after seafaring nations expanded their navies to deal with the threat. In modern times, the 1960s saw a rise in acts of piracy; characteristically, these pirates attacked ships at anchor and stole cargo or ship's stores. Today, piracy is once again flourishing and is recognized as another contemporary form of organized crime.

Preventing piracy is challenging because of four general problems: (1) prosecuting pirates is particularly difficult, because many of the attacks take place outside the territorial waters of any state; (2) pirates seek sanctuary in countries whose judicial system is ill equipped to prosecute them; (3) few countries have ratified any international laws regarding the problem; and (4) in many parts of the world, piracy, although illegal, is an accepted aspect of the culture, providing the citizenry with supplemental income and the means of survival. In many places, particularly the East African nation of Somalia, private groups who claim to fight piracy actually engage in acts of piracy instead. In areas such as Somalia and Sri Lanka, the stimulus seems to be the political, military, and economic failures of a region and the complacency of local authorities. Pirates do not lurk in the waters of the United States because of the proactive stance taken by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy.

Piracy has been grouped into three types based on their respective routine scenarios of attack. The [Page 417]most common are pirates who rob the crew and the ship and then depart. They prefer to take items that enable an easy escape. The second type of piracy targets people, cargo, and perhaps the vessel. The third, and perhaps most sophisticated type of piracy, entails stealing the vessel to steal cargo and/or haul illegal contraband or drugs. No type of vessel is immune to a pirate attack: cargo ships, fishing boats, tug boats, tankers, container vessels, passengers/cruise ships, yachts, or sailboats. Any ship whose crew is small, including privately owned yachts, can become a victim. The human cost of piracy is much more dramatic. Crew members are often wounded, killed, or simply lost at sea. In some cases, hostages are taken.

Modern pirates have modern tools at their disposal. They use cellular telephones, automatic weapons, speedboats, and global positioning systems to find their prey and radar to avoid any would-be pursuers. Their raids are also well planned. Armed crews on targeted vessels are rare. Although crews use preventive measures and evasive maneuvers to prevent boarding, such efforts are not always successful. The chief problem is that crews do not remain constantly alert to the potential problem. Once pirates are on board a vessel, the crew tends to retreat to quarters. At sea, a captain has the following means of deterrence: evasive maneuvers, fire hoses, bright lighting, mustering, LRAD (long range acoustic device), and broadcasting for assistance. Pirates are known to attack when the fewest crew members are on duty, usually when the day workers are off duty and sleeping, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Therefore, a ship at anchor is an attractive target for piracy and should be made to look as though a full crew is on board. As Jim Gray and colleagues recommend, night watches need to remain visible on deck with lights over all sides of the ship.

...