Ah, pirates: so inconsistent. They're not hijacking ships as often as they were when the resurgent piracy problem still took maritime commerce by surprise. But that's about the only good news in a set of piracy statistics released Thursday: they're attacking more, getting more violent, and getting more booty out of it.
There's some bad news and some good news about Somali piracy out today. The bad news? Attacks are up. The good news? Pirates are starting to suck a little bit at converting attacks into actual hijackings.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported on Thursday that there were 163 attacks by Somali pirates in the first half of 2011. That's down from to 100 in the first half of 2010. Pirates are also getting more ambitious in their targeting. The IMB's report says the maritime gangsters are now venturing into choppier waters and doing some off-season pirating during monsoon season.
But even though pirates are attacking more, they aren't able to seal the deal as much. Hijackings fell from 27 in the first half of 2010 to 21 in the same period this year.
That's relatively good news. But the overall picture for Somali piracy is still pretty bleak. And it's pushing a lot of countries and shippers to arm themselves in response.
Pirates might have snagged fewer ships in the first half of this year, but over time they've been squeezing more money out of what they catch. In 2010, pirates banked an average of $5.4 million per hijacked ship last year. Back in 2005, their average haul was just $150,000. Like Stringer Bell said: less corners, more money.
The pirate business has gotten more violent, too. Captured hostages used to enjoy at least a minimal expectation of security, but anecdotal reports have shown that the sea brigands are starting to turn on their human cargo and get abusive. In a study released in June, the One Earth Future Foundation (.pdf) noted upticks in instances of pirate sadism against captured sailors, including beatings and denial of food. Last year, pirates also went a bit 18th century and started to do short-term impressment, forcing captured sailors to help out in hijacking other ships, according to the report.
The IMB attributes pirates' relative hijacking hardships lately to the presence of international naval forces patrolling hot spots and shippers hardening up their own security. Some of that hardening may be due to shipping firms implementing best practices -- commonsense measures like increasing speed and maintaining a watch while traveling through hotspots.
But a number of countries and shipping lines aren't content with just best practices. Some are now setting their sights on private security firms for protection. India recently mulled the idea of armed guards on its ships to deal as the pirates creep closer to its shores. Last week, Britain started opening the door for its merchant vessels to tote along private armed guards. And Thursday, China's largest shipping line, Cosco, announced it'll spend $12 million in part on private security to protect its fleet from piracy. Not a dumb investment considering how big the pirates' treasure chest has grown.
Photo: EU Navfor
See Also:
- Pirates Kill U.S. Hostages, So U.S. Forces Kill Pirates
- Act Now! Pirates Offer Discounts on Select Ransoms
- China to Pirates: All Your Base Are Belong to Us
- Pirates to India: This Time It's Personal
- Navy Captures Pirates Without Firing a Shot
- New Use for Lasers: Blinding Pirates
- Pirates Hit a Gusher With Twin Oil Tanker Haul
