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Well, we didn’t catch the 11.1.11.11 -train. But it appears that we will finally start tomorrow on our final 5,000nm voyage getting back to the Mediterranean, which we last left 11 years ago. The trip will take us from Thailand to the Maldives (1,600nm), then across the Arabian Sea to Oman (1,000-1500nm depending on route), through the Gulf of Aden (GoA), the strait of Bab-el-mandeb into the Red Sea and further to the Suez Canal and Port Said (1,000+nm). The last leg from Egypt to Turkey is only 500nm I guess.
As you know, the real challenge on this route is piracy. Until recently the most dangerous area has been GoA, between Salalah in Oman and Aden in Yemen. We have been focusing on this challenge and mentally prepared us for this roughly 700nm long stretch. Unfortunately, the rules have changed! Since November 2010 the pirates have successfully used at least 5 captured ships as mother-ships enabling them to operate several thousands of miles from Somalia. Some of these hijacked ships have completed multiple patrols since they were captured.
Only about a year ago (November 2009) the eastern boundary of the High Risk Area was considered (www.riskintelligence.eu) to be around 62E. See map below.
Just a few days ago (January 10, 2011) Nato Shipping Centre issued an alert map showing recent positions of pirate attacks as north as 21N and east as 64E. See map below. Eye witnesses describe attacks in small fast skiffs with larger (mother ships) in the vicinity.
Click on map for larger copy
According to the Danger of Piracy guide lines published by The International Sailing Federation ISAF, in co-operation with the MSCHOA (Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa) set up by EU NAVFOR (EU naval force) Operation ATALANTA, the risk area stretches all the way to 10S and 78E (which is the southern tip of India)!
I find it impossible to understand why the coalition forces, formed by dozens of battle ships from many countries, cannot stop these mother-ships. They are giant freighters, for crying out loud, impossible to hide and easy to identify. Why don’t the navies just drop a bomb on each of them? Anybody in command of a highjacked ship must be presumed to be guilty of piracy. As a matter of fact, I think the pirates have made a mistake by implementing this new strategy. This should give the counter-piracy forces new opportunities, which, sadly, they do not seem to be taking advantage of.
Ok, if the pirates are using hostages as shields, maybe we cannot shoot the ships to pieces, but it should be a piece of a cake, with modern technology, to either put a shadow on each ship or put a tracker on them by satellite. Knowing the exact position of these bastards should make it easy for the coalition forces to be in the vicinity and prevent attacks.
I borrowed the title of this blog post from a great review by Jeffrey Gettleman in The New York Review of Books.
