Terrorism in Troubled Waters

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Texas A&M UniversityGlobal Issues ConferenceZooming Out for a Global View

Facts – Somalia’s PiratesSomalia’s pirates have captured ships including:

Tankers with 2 Million Barrels of Oil [$100M] The Maersk Alabama [U.S. Ship] ‘Le Ponant’ [French Luxury Ship]

Recent Attacks:

Date Attack4-4-09 Pirates capture Le Ponant

32 crew and passengers captive

3-20-09

Pirates capture ‘Plaka de Bakio’, a Spanish fishing ship, with grenade launchers.26 crew captive

11-11-08

Pirates attempt to seize Danish Ship2 Pirates killed. Attack stopped.

9-25-08

MV Faina captured. Pirates seize Russian-made tanks, grenade launchers, and military hardware.

9-4-08 ‘Al Mansoura’ captured.25 crew captive.

The Actions

1. Trade Ships, carrying cargo (oil, fish, machinery…) pass through Suez Canal, going south.

2. Ships sell some of their goods, and continue south.3. Ships travel around Somalia.

1

2

3High Risk of Terrorist Attacks

Path #2:

1. Ships come from the Horn of Africa trying to get products to Europe.2. Ships enter the Gulf of Aden.3. Ships pass through Suez Canal.

High Risk of Attacks

Piracy 2008 Maps

Gulf of Aden Worldwidehttp://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?

option=com_fabrik&view=visualization&controller=visualization.googlemap&Itemid=89

Key:

Yellow: Attempted AttackRed: Actual AttackPurple: Suspicious Vessel

Most attacks are concentrated around the Gulf of Aden. Why? The main reason is ships carrying all kinds of goods pass through that region, and the region is poor and volatile.

How Does Piracy Affect Houston?Let’s look at Houston. It’s a shipping port. Many companies

that do business in Africa also have offices in Houston. We also have many trained maritime workers. Some of the relief ships for war-torn parts of Africa leave from Houston.

Piracy spreads from Africa to Houston because of our port. A captain gave himself as a hostage to save his shipmates.

At TAMU Galveston you can get a degree in Maritime Studies. People in Houston are connected to the industry. Their families are also connected.

How Is It Addressed Globally?Countries are trying to settle piracy with

naval force, however this is controversial. Some believe it makes the pirates angrier and causes more attacks.

Groups such as the IMB(International Maritime Bureau) and the PRC (Piracy Reporting Center) try to help deal with piracy safely through awareness .

The United Nations has held several conferences to suggest solutions to the issue.

How Do Organizations Handle Piracy?• UN had Security Council meeting.• Articles 100-107 of the Law of the Sea

Convention passed. Deal with piracy and repression on high seas

• U.S. Navy assists in combating pirates and rescuing hostages.

• IMB and PRC keep live maps of piracy, try to combat piracy by securing commonly attacked areas, and support common awareness of the issues.

• The U.S. government has promised to help combat piracy through naval force.

Articles 100-107 of the Law of the Sea

A New LookOne ship full of highly precious cargo

decided, for security issues, to change the ship’s looks. Guns, rifles, training of crew, and high-tech equipment made the pirates think twice. In fact, the ship never saw any pirate ships. In fact, new looks can be enough to scare the pirates away.

THE DRAWBACK!Planting most guns, and training most crewmembers could cost several thousands of dollars. Multiplied by the number of ships in the seas, this could be well over same neighboring countries’ GDPs!Market volatility could rise in neighboring states.

Help our neighbors!The Plan The Downside

If the EU and the U.S. help surround the Gulf of Aden and help Somalia by providing food, military force, and some funding, Somalia would have enough resources to help end terrorism, since this area is where most of the piracy occurs.

• This would require at least 4-6 months to set into action.

• Some countries don’t have excess funding and troops.

• The plan is very costly and risky.

• The plan only solves one area.

• The plan doesn't stop the process.

Bibliography [MLA] "Video: 'It's what he would do for his crew' | World news | guardian.co.uk." 11 Apr. 2009

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/apr/09/pirates-hostage>. "Peter Lehr: Supporting Somalia's president is more likely to stop the pirates than warships |

Comment is free | guardian.co.uk." 11 Apr. 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/10/piracy-somalia>.

"Peter Lehr: Supporting Somalia's president is more likely to stop the pirates than warships | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk." 11 Apr. 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/10/piracy-somalia>.

"David Axe: The US must lead a coordinated response against Somali pirates | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk." 11 Apr. 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/apr/09/piracy-somalia-alabama-us-navy>.

"David Axe: The US must lead a coordinated response against Somali pirates | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk." 11 Apr. 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/apr/09/piracy-somalia-alabama-us-navy>.

"The Missing Tanks." The Economist 11 Oct. 2008: 68. "The World's most Utterly Failed State." The Economist 4 Oct. 2008: 49-50. "Piracy- Look for the Silver Lining." The Economist 19 July 2008: 23-24. "Somalia - A Hint of Hope for a Broken country." The Economist 19 Apr. 2008: 58-59. True, Judy. Personal interview. 14 Apr. 2009. Williams, Ian. “Ian Williams: Dealing Effectively with Somalian Pirates requires new Thinking | .”

9 Dec. 2008. 14 Apr. 2009http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifaamerica/2008/dec/09/somalia-pirates-international-maritime-law

"THE LAW OF THE SEA." BERNAERTS’ GUIDE TO THE 1982 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA. 15 Apr. 2009 <http://www.bernaerts-unclos.de/42-49.html>.