PIRACY AS A TRANSNATIONAL THREAT IN THE HORN OF

AFRICA

Martino SacchiUniversity of the Sacred Heart, Milano

XII SeSaMo ConferenceBEYOND THE ARAB UPRISINGSRediscovering the MENA region

January 16-17, 2015

The sea is a link more than a fence

But no borders means no shields, too

Sea without borders

Indian Ocean is not a moat

Indian Ocean is a bridge

On the high seas

This is the reason why it is so important to study what happens in the Arabic Sea and Indian Ocean

But: in this ocean a new form of piracy

recently spread out Somali Piracy

ABSTRACT

Somaly Piracy as a transnational threat

The counter-piracy operations as a transnational response

Western navies and non-Western navies together against piracy

ABSTRACT

Why in Somalia?

A strategic position

By Grolltech

A great number of targets

25.000 to 30.000 vessels per annum

70-80 vessels a day

A ship every 20 minutes

Somalia as a failed state

Widespead poverty

GPD pro capite: 600 $ per annum

A (Very) Brief History of Piracy

1989-90: the struggle against Siad Barre

1990-1993: the struggle against foreign fishing vessels

1994-1995: ships underway in the Gulf of Aden begin to be hijacked for ransom

An Undervalued Phenomenon

The 2004Tsunami is reportedly a turning point

2005-2008 Piracy spread out but was largely undervalued by Western countries

A (Very) Brief History of Piracy

What is a pirate?

Cicero: a pirate is «hostis humani generis»

That means that a pirate is a common enemy of all mankind

A Transational Threat

Ships from at least 60 countries were attacked and hijacked

Much more if we consider failed attacks too

Much more if we consider crew, owner, cargo

A Transational Threat

Hijacked Ships from:

Panama 30 Antigua 10 Liberia 8 Malta 8 Singapore 8 Marshall Islands 7 Yemen 7 Bahamas 7

Hijacked Ships: tugs...

… large yacths ...

… small yacths ...

… chemical tankers ...

… old ships ...

… huge supertankers ...

… boxships ...

No Ideology in Piracy

Somali pirates don't fight against «Western countries» «Capitalism» «Christianity»

No Ideology in Piracy

Somali pirates want money

No evidence linking piracy with Al-Shaabab

From a Transnational Threat... ….to a Transnational Reaction

At the beginning every country acted by itself

Western and non-Western operations

Security teams

The first reactions

2005 «Mare Sicuro» (Italy) 2008 Ponant affaire (France) 2008 Neustrashimy (Russia)

The «Mare Sicuro» Opration

The «Ponant affaire»

The turning point: the Faina Affaire(September 25, 2008-February 2, 2009)

Western counter-piracy operations

EU Atalanta (December 9, 2008) NATO Ocean Shield (August 19,

2009), former Allied Provider (October 9, 2008)

CTF 151 (established in January 2009 as a spin-off from CTF 150)

Non-Western counter-piracy operations

China (December 18, 2008) India (October 23, 2008) Russia (September 25, 2008) Japan (March 31, 2009)

China

Fishing vessel Tianyu first chinese ship hijacked (november 2008)

Since 2008, 18 task groups deployed in Somalia waters

Each group: 1 or 2 destroyers or frigates and 1 replenishment ship

Song-class diesel attack submarine (SSK) (Septermber 2014)

China: the «string of pearls»

India

Only 20-24 Indian flagged cargoes every month sail across GOA (only 13% of Indiand trade)

Indian community of seafarer accounts 7% of the world's seafarers

Indian Navy has been providing Naval Escort in Gulf of Aden since October 2008 .

Russia

Russian Navy is a potential «blue water navy»

Leadership very ambitious Luck of funds

Security teams

Small goups of former soldiers Teams onboard can return fire when

the ship is attacked Avocet affaire Floating armouries

Geography is not an opinion

Thank you