The Growth of Piracy
By: Capt. Junmar A. Roa, PCGA

The piracy of Somalia is a different problem from what we have seen in the
Malacca Straits and South China Sea. In Somalia, piracy has become a business-one that
is making money out of taking hostages.


Piracy is nothing new and seafarers have been vulnerable to such attacks
throughout the history of seafaring. The destabilization of Somalia as a viable law-abiding
regime, piracy has flourished as a major industry in the semi-autonomous region,
specifically in the province of Punt land where fishing was once the main source of living.
Communities that live in dire poverty have seen their traditional fishing industries go
under to over fishing, that are not governed by any law or criminal justice system and
where there is ready access to weaponry have given birth to a lucrative trade in piracy.
The problem of piracy escalated in 2008, when ships and hostages were taken.
Despite international concern and the presence of a multinational naval task force to
patrol the Gulf of Aden, the number of attacks in the region somehow continued to rise.
In fact, there has been growing evidence that the pirates have been prepared to venture
even further including into the Red Sea and out towards the east coast of Africa.


Although many attacks were thwarted by evasive action or intervention by the
coalition task force, pirates still managed to hi-jack ships and kidnap hostages and still
prepared to take the risks because of increasing rewards. Pirate attacks have continued
in other waters of the world, with indications that the rise of global recession could have
triggered this opportunist crime.


The media has focused on the pirates, eventually, less attention to the plight of
the seafarers who suffer the most as victims of pirate and criminal attacks. Seafarers are
not expendable resource, if it takes a ransom payment to serve their freedom, then so
be it. The important objective is the safety of the seafarers. But their release is not the
end of their agony; rather, it is just the start of continuing problems for seafarers who
have been victims of piracy. The most debilitating problem which can affect their health,
employment and relationship is the POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. To solve the
predicament, seafarers will need to be on guard when sailing through the pirate prone
areas. There are some who adopted allowing armed personnel sailing on board ships in
these waters, but this move would only escalate the situation and press even greater
risks to seafarers.


We are all aware that the tanker vessel is vulnerable to piracy because they are
slow and have low freeboard. The risk of attack is not so great that putting seafarers in
harm is way amount to a breach of ship owner’s duty of care. The practical measures in
deterring and delaying attacks has been well disseminated to us, therefore, it is in our
own hand on how we will be able to apply good judgment and substantial action to do
such measures.