Highlights
-Yemen will establish an “anti-piracy center” in collaboration with 20 other countries, including the US, and the International Maritime Organization
-US Task Force in the Horn of Africa will aid in military relations between Horn and Yemen
-Officials from nations surrounding the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and sub-Western Indian Ocean are optimistic over results of the center and expect that it will reduce the overall number of hijackings in the near to mid-term
In the latest move in response to the surge in maritime hijackings in the Gulf of Aden, Yemen’s Transport Minister Khalid al-Wazir announced on September 8, 2008 that his country is set to host a regional “Anti-Piracy Center” to combat piracy and other acts of maritime terrorism. The announcement came one day after Yemeni Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed met with Admiral Phillip Greene, commander of the United States (US) Task Force in the Horn of Africa (USTF-HOA), to discuss ways to develop military relations between both militaries, particularly in fighting terrorism and piracy, and preserving the security of international maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
In addition, the Yemeni government approved a memorandum of understanding last week between Yemen and 20 countries in the sub-Western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea area related to the control and eradication of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region.
As a result, a secondary regional meeting has been planned in Yemen’s capital Sana’a from October 27-30, 2008. Plans are to work on completing the procedures for the establishment of the regional Anti-Piracy Center and to exchange information on piracy and armed robbery against ships in transit through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. With the rise in pirate attacks in recent months, member countries to the regional center are eager to initiate the building process and are hopeful that a regional approach to the crisis will effectively reduce the number of piracy incidents in the near to mid-term.
Steep Rise in Pirate Attacks
Since the beginning of August 2008, there have been nine pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, which is the largest number of attacks by Somali pirates in recent months. The following is a list of several major hijackings:
•August 12: Somali pirates hijacked the Thor Star, a Thai cargo ship with 28 crewmembers onboard .
•August 19: Armed pirates seized the MT Bunga Melati Dua, a Malaysian palm oil tanker with 39 crewmembers, off the coast of Somalia .
•August 21: Armed pirates hijacked three ships – a Japanese chemical tanker with 19 crewmembers, an Iranian bulk carrier with 29 crewmembers, and a German cargo ship with nine crewmembers off Somalia’s coast .
•August 29: Pirates, believed to be Somali, hijacked the Malaysian MT Bunga Melati 5 tanker and its 41 crewmembers off Yemen’s coast in the Gulf of Aden. It was the second tanker owned by MISC Berhard to be hijacked in the Gulf of Aden in the previous 10 days .
•September 3: Armed pirates hijacked a French yacht with two French citizens onboard off the coast of Somalia .
•September 4: Armed pirates hijacked an Egyptian ship with 25 crewmembers in the Gulf of Aden – both the Egyptian and French ships were taken to a pirate stronghold town in Somalia .
Thwarting Future Attacks
The agreement to hosting an Anti-Piracy Center in Yemen has pleased a number of surrounding countries that have been deeply affected by the surge in recent pirate attacks. Recent efforts to thwart pirates off the coast of Somalia have helped local governments revive hope in combating the maritime terrorists.
• On September 7, 2008, an unidentified warship off the coast of Somalia captured 14 pirates and destroyed their boat. Somali officials in the northern Puntland region believe the ship belonged to the United States, however the US has not commented on the incident.
The lack of security in the region has enabled maritime terrorists to conduct attacks and hold crewmembers hostage for high value ransom amounts, which have been paid to pirates in exchange for hostages on numerous occasions.
As a result, however, members of the newly created Anti-Piracy Center are ready to begin proceedings in order to effectively combat maritime pirates. In the near to mid-term we expect additional success in targeting maritime pirates as these joint security measures begin to take effect.
