Piracy: is there light at the end of this tunnel?

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Piracy is there light at the end of this tunnel?

• NATO ASI
• Prediction and Recognition of Piracy Efforts
  Using Collaborative Human-Centric Information
  Systems
• 27.9.2011 Salamanca Spain
• Dominique Cant - DP World Belgium

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Its the economy stupid ! (Bill Clinton 1992)

• Securing the Supply Chain
• Pirates threatens a supply lane of vital
  interests to the international community!

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• Acts of piracy costing world trade approx. 10
  billion annually.
• Almost impossible to calculate the human cost for
  those held for ransom for extended periods of
  time.
• 266 pirate acts attacks in the first six months
  of 2011, compared to 196 accidents in the same
  period in 2010.
• 60 by Somali pirates

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• 361 sailors took hostage and 13 kidnapped in
  first six months of 2011
• 99 vessels boarded 76 were fired upon
• As of 30.6.2011 Somali pirates were holding 20
  vessels 420 crew members and demanding ransoms
  of millions of dollars for their release.

5

• We have become familiar with the term
  asymmetric warfare
• in environments such as Iraq, Afghanistan.
• An asymmetric conflict at sea is a comparatively
  new
• development because
• Pirates are operating from small fishing craft
  using outboard
• motors.
• Poorly equipped with most rudimentary of tools.
• An AK 47 and a ladder.
• Sharp contrast with sophisticated vessel tracking
  ( AIS, ..)
• radar communications systems.

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• But pirates have shown remarkable degrees of
  adaptability
• pack tactics in gangs of skiffs
• Supported by lager vessels and mother ships to
  enable to
• re-supply the ships in deep international
  waters.
• Professional organisation, supply logistics ?
• Increase of more violent methods of attack.
• Automatic weapons
• Rocket propelled grenade launchers
• Supply Traceability of weapons by whom?

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• This demonstrates that
• Pirates are not only re-investing the money in
  weapons.
• They are now more willing to risk greater
  international
• reprisals for their increasingly violent
  attacks.
• Warefare is a stupid way of doing business.
  (Eisenhower)

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• Pirates tactics are succesfull because
• Ironically, merchant vessels have increased
  autonomy and
• reliability, but the crews have been reduced
  which makes
• them more vulnerable to even small contingents of
  armed
• pirates!

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• To counter this problem some merchant vessels
  have
• Armed guards on board at considerable cost
• Short-time tactic and due to the cost the
  objective of
• achieving savings through smaller ship crews
  is defeated !
• Armed guards present some more complex legal
  issues
• depending on the flage state of the vessel
• Who is reponsible to whom?
• Regulation and standards of armed security firms
  are
• still very much under debate
• What if lethal force was used in error?

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• Industry are emerging a real answer to vessel
  protection
• Ultimately the use of lethal force should be
  selected as
• a last resort.
• Non-lethal protective measures can help to create
  a
• layered and proportional defence around a
  vulnerable
• vessel.
• Main issue
• How to avoid pirates coming on board of a ship?
• How to buy crucial time to alert authorities?

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• A Pr-disaster as a result of the reckless use of
  lethal
• Weapons is certain to be catastrophic to a
  shipping
• companys reputation!
• Conclusion
• Armed guards may well provide some of the
  solution,
• particullary in hot spots of pirate
  attacks, in the long
• term the use of armed guards will almost
  certainly be
• too prohibitive.
• ( They will become a part of the problem ! )

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Technological solutions will provide the
long-term security for the future for the
maritime merchant industry, because hoping that
the problems of poverty and lack of proper
governance in these countries can easily and
quickly be fixed is ( very? ) naïve.
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• Ship hardening with a mixture of long-range and
  short-range
• deterrents can effectively dissuade pirates from
  attack as ship.
• But what is needed more urgently
• A concerted, co-ordinated and sustained effort by
  
• international naval forces
• Intercept attacks
• Capture mother ships
• Severely punish those caught and convicted of
  piracy?

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• Only when the threat posed by piracy is
  recognised and a
• proper strategy is formulated for crushing it
  will resources be
• made free to actually do so.
• UN Secretary-General Ban KI-moon
• The decision to address this issue is timely and
  important
• The response must be orchestrated
• Concerted coordinated international effort
• Until then, we will only see attacks increasing
  in both number
• and violance!

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• Ransom payments adding up to hundred of millions
  of dollars
• have create a pirate economy .Economies
  throughout Africa
• are experiencing the fall out.
• Although piracy manifests itself at sea the roots
  of the problem
• are to be found ashore Piracy is a criminal
  offence driven by
• economic hardship. It flourishes in the
  absence of effective
• law-enforcement.
• Ground forces to cleam up the mess.
• Help the people to establish a normal
  government structure
• First things first utilities,water,electricity,
  food.
• Mobile network is a dont need to have !

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The six primary objectives of IMOs 2011 action
plan

• Increase pressure at the political level to
  secure the release
• of all hostages being held by pirates.
• Review and improve the IMO Guidelines to
  administrations
• and seafarers and promote compliance with
  industry best
• management practive and the recommended
  preventive,
• evasive and defensive measures ships should
  follow.
• Recommended lecture
• IMO-MSC1/Circ 1405-23.5.2011
• GAO-report to US Congress september 2011
  Progrss made
• in implementing homeland security missions 10
  years after 9/11

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• Promote greater levels of support from, and
  coordination
• with navies.
• Promote anti-piracy coordination and cooperation
  procedures
• between en among states, regions,
  organisations and
• the ( maritime) industry.
• Assist states to build capacity in
  piracy-infested regions
• of the world and, elsewhere, to deter,
  interdict and bring to
• justice those who commits acts of piracy and
  armed robbery
• against ships.
• Provide care for those attacked or hijacked by
  pirates and for
• their families.

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He who knows when he can fight and when he
cannot, will be victorious. Sun Tzu If you are
far from the enemy, make him believe you are
near. Sun Tzu Know your enemy and know
yourself and you can fight a hundred battles
without disaster. Sun Tzu Pretend inferiority
and encourage his arrogance. Sun Tzu
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