Best response to Somali piracy?

**Ironduke** · 14th April 2009 08:44

Recently Somali piracy scourge has again made headline news with the failed capture of the Maersk Alabama followed by a tense hostage standoff that ended with the killing of three Somali pirates, the capture of the fourth and the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips. Given the threat that Somali pirates pose to international shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, what do you think would be the best response: large scale military action against pirate vessels and their bases of operations onshore, smaller scale patrolling of those waters and deterrence, or should the cargo and merchant ships in the region take it upon themselves to provide their own security? What do you think are the pros and cons of each approach?

**tankie** · 14th April 2009 08:53

Welll with only one vote i voted for large scale mil action , but am in favor of option 3 as well ,,get rid of these scumbag lowlifes once and for all , or at least show them that if they want to play that way , well have it back , as once again ,, its only the criminals that have guns and weapons , every merchant ship should have the right to protection and carry out its bizz , the military cant be every where at once , so yes , arm them all .With the profits made from shipping , surely its not beyond the realms of rocket science to have security on board ,,ex military perhaps , same as on some aircraft now , armed security .

**chindit72** · 14th April 2009 09:00

Smaller-scale measures such as increased patrols and deterrence . i am in favour of the above, it would be better if the african, gulf and asian countries pooled in there resources in terms of naval patrols , but i dont think thats a possibility given the politico milatary situation

**Mohan** · 14th April 2009 09:36

Go and Kill all those scums so that it wont be that lucrative career for the youngs to follow since they will come to know 100% sure that they have to pay with their life.

**osplant** · 14th April 2009 09:36

UN sanctions against Somalia as per International Law of the Sea.

**Merlin** · 14th April 2009 09:41

Nah! The best solution is not out at sea. The best solution is to have a good government at Mogadishu that can control the whole country, including the coastal areas, to give them stability, and then gradually develop the country.

**Ironduke** · 14th April 2009 09:52

Originally Posted by Merlin

The best solution is not out at sea. The best solution is to have a good government at Mogadishu that can control and develop the whole country.

I'm not talking about some castle in the sky goody feely nation-building project that would take 30 years if it could work at all. Rather, something that could begin to have an impact immediately and begin to deliver actual results in days/weeks/months. Something grounded in reality and practicality.

**osplant** · 14th April 2009 09:56

The international community must decide to expel this country and any other ambitious violator of its laws from all the below organizations: ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO and impose the provided sanctions. The International Law of the Sea is clear. Otherwise, what ever is said is an abstract and absurd missal.

**Merlin** · 14th April 2009 10:00

Ironduke, do you mean a military solution, like sending in US and other Nato troops to clear up the coastal areas. The ensuring insurgents will lock in the troops there like Afganistan, and staying on for eight years and more.

**snowhole** · 14th April 2009 10:04

Originally Posted by Merlin

Nah! The best solution is not out at sea. The best solution is to have a good government at Mogadishu that can control the whole country, including the coastal areas, to give them stability, and then gradually develop the country.

^ What he said.

IMHO it's like riots caused by unemployment. If you just surpress the protests and riots, while not providing jobs, new rioters would still emerge.

**Ironduke** · 14th April 2009 10:07

Originally Posted by Merlin

Ironduke, do you mean a military solution, like sending in US and other Nato troops to clear up the coastal areas. The ensuring insurgents will lock in the troops there like Afganistan, and staying on for eight years and more.

In a couple of other threads, I mentioned the deployment of two USMC carriers to sink their vessels and launch raids against their bases of operations. I never said anything about occupation. Quite simply, make it very costly for the pirates.

**Optimus** · 14th April 2009 10:23

Somalia is a basket case, and the rest of the world has put it in the to hard basket, despite knowing what the problem is. Blasting the living bejeezers out of them is only a short term fix, as i cant see a nations people who have absolutely nothing to lose, will flag piracy away.
I also heard on the BBC that having armed personnel on the cargo ships is prohibitive because of the insurance premium, the logic behind that has got me totally F....d

**JOgershok** · 14th April 2009 10:24

A small security force on board these ship could repel and kill most of these pirates in action. Dead pirates do not come back and they understand the price of their operation just went up too high when that happens. They are not patriots as those of the past (we were told), but criminals.

**Sombra** · 14th April 2009 10:26

It would be nice if there was a stable government in somalia but there isnt.

So best solution... experience showed that there is no point in talking and bribing...the romans tried and spanish tried and failed.. The romans in the end sent a fleet to sweep the sea from one end to the other destroying the ships and habours of the pirates.

So my vote is: military action destroy the boats in the port. Sent in a gunship / rockets soemthing cost effective and sink them. Somalia isnt a functional state. If not I would be in favor for embargos to force them to enforce order and rules But there isnt any government which can do it.

It would be nice to get an an vote on this issue so that isnt seen as an action by one state but internationally sanctioned action.

Its ridicilous that our neavys hands are tied that they are only allowed to take action the moment the attack takes place (at least this is true for the german navy) as soon as the pirates stop the attacks they dont have any right to stop them by force returning home. Perhaps international law should be changedto adrdess this kind of new piracy.

**juhaerik** · 14th April 2009 10:45

Dear All,

Merchant ship convoys have been used in emergencies for centuries - whether pirate threat or war. And it has worked everytime.

System requires less escort ships, say one per convoy, and certainly there is protection in mass.

To add some, aggressive patrolling in threat areas - and air surveillance. As a retired judge recently put it - well they are outlaws and should be treated as such. In the time of sail the pirate caught, well game over.

Arming merchant ships may not be the best option, unless one uses professional armed teams onboard (Blackwater ?). Seaman with a gun - is no.

Truly,

Captain Juha Luukka from Finland

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