Another Perspective
To the Shores of, er, Somalia
If the Marines can’t help, maybe someone like Blackwater can.
Pirates from the Mediterranean shores of Africa had been ravaging shipping for nearly three centuries when the United States Marines stormed a fortress near Tripoli in 1803. That was the first Barbary War. There was a second a few years later, which ended Mediterranean piracy. By contrast, there is no end in sight for the epidemic of modern piracy taking place in the waters off the Horn of Africa.
The Marines aren’t going to land on the coast of Somalia, or anywhere near it. The U.S. Navy is patrolling offshore; however, finding pirate speedboats makes finding needles in haystacks a parlor game by comparison. The Indian Navy destroyed a pirate “mother ship” the week before last, but luck played a large part. Last week a Danish Navy ship pulled several pirates from the water before sinking their craft.
If they are going to actually stop Somalia-based piracy, the shipping nations will have to settle for virtual Marines in the form of Blackwater, the North Carolina-based private security company that has figured in the news in Iraq. Blackwater comes prepared. It hires former SEALS and other special forces alumni. The firm owns the 183-foot McArthur, a ship that can carry two helicopters and high-speed inflatable boats of the type favored by naval commandoes. It carries 30 guards in addition to the ship’s crew. According to a spokeswoman, the ship’s primary role for client shippers will be to scare off pirates, though its guards would be prepared to shoot if fired upon.
Once hired by a shipping firm, Blackwater will seek to get pirates to understand that instant death could be an occupational hazard of piracy.
Other than patrols of a stretch of ocean four times the size of Texas by ships from the U.S., India, Russia, and the European Union, commercial ships in the area are on their own unless they sign up with a private service such as Blackwater. Almost none of the commercial ships is armed. The reasons? Partly fear of increased insurance rates; partly some countries’ port laws prohibiting inbound ships from carrying arms, even in self-defense. Timidity and jurisdictional uncertainly also play a role.
The upshot? Nearly 100 shipjackings have been attempted this year and half have succeeded. The pirates still hold, for example, a Saudi tanker filled with $100 million worth of oil. They hold the ships for large ransom which is usually paid — $30 million this year. With the money, they build large homes for themselves ashore and buy ever more sophisticated weaponry with which to seize more ships. These are not rustic peasants. They use GPS navigation; are taken to sea on “mother ships,” then take off in light speedboats. They have their own spokesman who gives interviews via satellite telephone.
The pirates are armed with AK-47s and, often, rocket-propelled grenades. They throw a line with a grappling hook on to a ships deck, them climb aboard. In some cases, ships have ladders on the side of the hull, though all have been warned to pull them up. Unless a crew member of the victim ship were to step out of the shadows with an AK-47 to mow down the pirates (which hasn’t happened yet), the prize belongs to these spiritual descendants of the scourge of the Barbary Coast.
The Marines could probably mop up the pirates’ shore bases in short order, but don’t expect this to happen. Somalia, which has not had an effective government in 17 years, is still being treated as a sovereign nation. So it looks as if those international shippers and shipping lines will have to hire their own Marine Corps — Blackwater.
(Mr. Hannaford is a member of the Committee on the Present Danger.)
About the Author
Peter Hannaford was closely associated for a number of years with the late President Reagan, beginning in the California Governor’s office. His latest book is Presidential Retreats.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (16) | Leave a comment
Related Articles
More Articles by Peter Hannaford
More Articles From Another Perspective
http://spectator.org/archives/2008/12/09/to-the-shores-of-er-somalia
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
Current Issue
- Sweet Home, Alabama
- Gabby Giffords Poisons the Well
- Way Beyond the Lemonade Stand
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Michael Roush| 12.9.08 @ 10:26AM
Mr. Hannaford writes: "The U.S. Navy is patrolling offshore; however, finding pirate speedboats makes finding needles in haystacks a parlor game by comparison. The Indian Navy destroyed a pirate "mother ship" the week before last, but luck played a large part." So what is nearly impossible for the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corp is going to be just another day's work for Blackwater. Why, you asked. Because, according to Mr. Hannaford, Blackwater "hires former SEALS and other special forces alumni. The firm owns the 183-foot McArthur, a ship that can carry two helicopters and high-speed inflatable boats of the type favored by naval commandoes." So a group of former SEALS and other special forces alumni on one ship are going to find the "needles in the haystack" that elude the U.S. Navy and that the Indian navy found only by luck. Fascinating.
Dustoff| 12.9.08 @ 11:18AM
Michael
Maybe you should have read it all before your statement.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Other than patrols of a stretch of ocean four times the size of Texas by ships from the U.S., India, Russia, and the European Union, commercial ships in the area are on their own unless they sign up with a private service such as Blackwater. Almost none of the commercial ships is armed.
____________________________
He didn't say one BW ship could cover the whole area. But BW on the decks of these ships would make a huge statement the first time the killed some pirates.
T1| 12.9.08 @ 1:17PM
The reason that armed guards have not been used is because many of the ships carry imfammable cargos and are extremely vunerable.
The very last thing they want is a firefight.
Michael Roush| 12.9.08 @ 1:50PM
T1 makes a good point. If a ship is destroyed in a fire fight, I'm certain the insurance companies will be gleeful about being able to slip financial responsibility.
Given the history of Blackwater in Iraq, I think companies will want to think long and hard about hiring mercenaries to provide their security.
Bruce Thompson | 12.9.08 @ 2:09PM
Boarders Away!!!" Remember that cry from the Days of Swashbuckling? Maybe it's just what we need to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Artivle 1, Section 8, Paragraph 11 of the United States Constituition grants Congress the right to "grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_marque , and make rules concerning captures on land and water". The use of privateers fell out of favor and letters of marque were relinquished by signatories to the Declaration of Paris, which was an annex to the 1856 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Crimean War. But the United States is not a signatory of that treaty so this constitutional remedy still exists. On December 2, 2008 the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1846 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9514.doc.htm .
It states
"The Security Council today strengthened international efforts to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia by expanding the mandate of States and regional organizations working with Somali officials towards that aim.
Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 1846 (2008), and acting under the Charter’s Chapter VII, the Council decided that during the next 12 months States and regional organizations cooperating with the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) may enter Somalia’s territorial waters and use "all necessary means" -- such as deploying naval vessels and military aircraft, as well as seizing and disposing of boats, vessels, arms and related equipment used for piracy -- to fight piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Somali coast, in accordance with relevant international law. States and regional organizations cooperating with Somali authorities were also requested to provide the Council and the Secretary-General with a progress report on their actions within nine months."
Combine this resolution with the suggestion by Peter Hannaford and we might have a partial solution. Mr. Hannaford suggests using Blackwater, a private contractor, to provide security using their ship Macarthur which has two helicopters, high speed inflatable boats and 30 heavily armed men. Rather than having them hired as private security, we should issue them a letter of marque and reprisal. (Note that a privateer must post a bond, so Congress should set a reasonable bond amount, say $20,000,000, to compensate those who are found in an Admiralty court to have been unjustly harmed by the privateers.) Now the privateers would have protection under international law to patrol the waters off Somalia (and only off Somalia) to combat pirates.
The first problem is finding the pirates and catching them in the act. This is where the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapte XI-2 come in.
"Regulation XI-2/5 requires all ships to be provided with a ship security alert system, according to a strict timetable that will see most vessels fitted by 2004 and the remainder by 2006. When activated the ship security alert system shall initiate and transmit a ship-to-shore security alert to a competent authority designated by the Administration, identifying the ship, its location and indicating that the security of the ship is under threat or it has been compromised. The system will not raise any alarm on-board the ship. The ship security alert system shall be capable of being activated from the navigation bridge and in at least one other location."
Activating its ship security alert system would be the equivalent of calling 911. Ships should also have extra Category 1 EPIRBs http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm readily at hand to drop overboard at the first sign of trouble. These are coded to idenitfy the ship in question, which combined with a "float plan" would give authorities a good idea as to whether the distress call is real or fake. The pirates don't know what ship they are attacking, they look for targets of opportunity. A ship in the right place at the right time per its float plan would be a real emergency.
Once an incident is detected, the authorities could contact the nearest privateers and give them the location. A helicopter equipped ship could either intervene with airborne weapons if they can get there in time, or maintain surveillance while they close to within range of their rigid inflatable boats (RIBs). Then it is "Boarders Away!!!".
Once a ship has been recaptured it would be "condemned" in an Admiralty Court for adjudication. The privateers would be entitled to prize money. Congress could set a reasonable sum for prize money, say 25% of the value of the ship and its cargo. For the service of these deputized peace officers, the owner would pay a ransom. The point is that there would now be competition for the ransom between the illegal pirates and the legal privateers. And the privateers only get money after the ship has been attacked. You've got to raise the cost of piracy by raising the wages of privateering.
Jeremiah| 12.9.08 @ 2:31PM
Wait....
How many Blackwater people are still left unindicted?
wordwolf| 12.9.08 @ 2:52PM
I like the way Bruce Thompson thinks...
Dustoff| 12.9.08 @ 3:39PM
Michael
How many ships have the pirates taken that have oil. So far only one.
Come on you guys. You need to read more often.
Far as BW, they have a many people who work for them and have never lost a person they guarded.
5 people are in trouble for, So called killing.
I say So called because we have seen with our own Marines where they were accused of killing people and it all turned out to be a lie.
Might I remind you that many of the BW are former Special forces who know the rules of engagedment.
Just for the heck of it. Have you even been in a fire fight?
I have 57th medical.
(in war, few things go as planned)
Don Drapier| 12.9.08 @ 3:54PM
Everyone keeps comparing the Somali pirates to the Barbary pirates as the justification for the U.S. Navy to act. There is one huge difference. We went to war against the barbary pirates because they were attacking U.S. flagged vessels and demanding tribute from us. This hasn't happened in Somalia. Until they attack a U.S. flagged vessel, let the naval super powers of Liberia and Malta handle the pirates.
Alan Brooks| 12.9.08 @ 4:34PM
the Danes who pulled the three pirates out of the water should have shot them right way. We have to stop being nice to terrorists & pirates, and just kill them.
Thomas| 12.9.08 @ 6:44PM
Mr Thompson and the rest all make good points, but all of the sophisticated electronics in the world will not stop the take over of a merchantman by pirates. If they succeed in gaining control of the ship, then the same problem will apply that applies with all of the other ships that they have seized. They will sail them to some Somali port and then the owner will have to negotiate a ransom for them. The only way to protect the ships is to allow each ship to use armed force to repel boarders before they have a chance to gain control. Otherwise, the pirates win.
Dai Alanye | 12.9.08 @ 7:13PM
It's all bilgewater! Catching pirates on the high seas is retail warfare, like kicking over the milk pail each morning. Instead, go after the cow.
Bombard the home ports, destroying dock facilities and commercial structures, plus sinking all boats. It won't take too many actions for word to get around Somalia that harboring pirates brings trouble.
Alan Brooks| 12.9.08 @ 10:37PM
and torture captured pirates and terrorists to get information on the whereabouts of their cohorts. we should stop being nice to our enemies, or we'll lose.
we won WWII by hitting the enemy with maximum strength-- lets do it again.
hit them 'til they see the light, hit them to knock some sense into them; more you hit them the more they see the light.
libyan | 12.10.08 @ 9:07AM
Peter Hannaford was closely associated with the late President Ronald Reagan ...
Adviser to war criminal Roland Reagan
You should be ashamed of yourself.
43 libyan killed in 4/1986 for no real reason except the hatred and arragance