Sailing into clear and present danger on the high seas

THE seizure by Somali pirates of the MV Sirius Star, an oil supertanker owned by Saudi company Aramco, some 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya, is a brazen act that represents a major threat to both the world’s energy security and the shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Yet piracy in this region is not a new story.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, between 1995 and 2002, there were 110 incidents of actual or attempted piracy off the waters of the countries that form the Horn of Africa. Between January and June of this year, Somali pirates were responsible for all 19 attacks in the Gulf of Aden. But the international community didn’t take the threat too seriously.

This summer, Nato was more focused on sending vessels to the Black Sea in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian war than increasing naval deployments of its member-states in the waters off of the Horn of Africa — despite the clear and present danger posed by pirates. Moreover, the decrease in maritime security, as evidenced by the increase in pirate attacks within the region, has occurred despite having a US presence in the Horn of Africa.

So far, the interest of pirate groups — operating largely from sanctuaries in Somalia — appears to be profit. Yet sooner or later, one cannot rule out the possibility of a terrorist group carrying out a hijacking mission designed to paralyse one of the world’s most important maritime lines of communication.

A significant attack against a large tanker in the Gulf of Aden could cause delays or closure of the traffic through Bab el-Mandab Strait preventing Gulf tankers from reaching the Suez Canal/Sumed pipeline complex. This would force tankers to divert around the southern tip of Africa, block non-oil shipping from using the Suez Canal, and lead to substantial increases in total energy costs around the world — and as this recent attack shows, open up vessels detouring from the Suez to pirate attack as well.

Piracy in East African waters is no longer an annoyance; it is a major threat to the economic well-being of the world. In the short term, an increased Western naval presence is essential. But there are potential longer-term solutions that epitomise the old saying “a penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

We already have a template that is beginning to work to combat piracy and maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea, in the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa. Earlier this year, a landmark memorandum of understanding was signed in Dakar, Senegal, providing for the creation of a regional coast guard.

Significantly, it contains provisions for “hot pursuit” of pirates and smugglers even across borders and offshore exclusive economic zones.

A first step would be to encourage the creation of a similar organisation — bringing together states like Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia, among others. This new Maritime Organisation of East Africa and the Horn of Africa would be able to create an international legal framework to coordinate operations.

Given the costs of piracy, it is well within the financial power of the US and the EU to make a number of investments that would enhance the ability to combat piracy, beginning with training and equipping regional coast guards.

Attacking some of the root causes of piracy — like poverty or the lack of a functioning central government in Somalia — are also important. Meanwhile, shipping is vulnerable — and the problem won’t go away. There are African solutions available — to something that is no longer exclusively an African problem. Washington and Brussels should take note.

Major Dennis W Sampson of the Marine Corps is a graduate student at the US Naval War College. Nikolas K Gvosdev is a professor of national security studies at the US Naval War College.