Cost and political expediency hold back SA anti-piracy efforts

As Somali pirates break from their heinous activities and avoid the sea while the torrential monsoon season prevails, any potential piracy threat to shipping in South African waters appears off government’s radar. Indeed, it is now clear an anti-piracy mission would not only be extremely costly for South Africa but would also not be politically expedient. The navy is ready to deal with the problem but that will not happen unless cabinet agrees. No formal request has been received for South Africa to become involved, although FTW understands a request for naval aid was made by World Food Aid last year but not acted upon because it did not pass through the correct diplomatic channels. Maritime Law Association (MLA) national president, Andrew Robinson, who has already alluded to the threat of piracy in the Mozambique Channel and possible implications for shipping in South African waters, said last week: “Apparently it will take R1.5 billion to keep the ships on station, but is there a R1.5 billion risk? The answer is probably no. “I can only imagine the cabinet will consider what risk piracy poses to South African interests and whether the risks are such that they warrant the expense.” Agreeing that pirate attacks have tended to occur further south as the year wears on, he says: “My personal view is that like Napoleon the Somali pirates will not be able to sustain operations with very stretched supply lines. “If they continue with attacks very far south, it will be much more difficult for them to get the kidnapped ship back into Somali waters pending ransom negotiations.” Should piracy move close to South Africa he expects the navy to be “fired up” by cabinet to do something about the problem – and the MLA could be mandated by its members to request appropriate intervention. Sharing much the same line of thinking as Robinson is Captain Roy Martin, national president of the Society of Master Mariners and chairman of the Durban chapter of the MLA. Martin considers it “very unlikely” that Somali pirates will begin their activities in South African waters – “very few places to run and hide” – but believes the navy and air force would undoubtedly have to get involved in the event of an attack. He doubts, though, that pirates would run that risk, as that is not what they have to resort to in order to remain successful. “The pirates’ shore bases in Somalia have to be sorted out in the first instance for piracy to be stamped out on a permanent basis. Until then the carrying of armed security guards on board all vessels trading in the danger areas should be made mandatory.” It is evident that governments and a large number of shipping heavyweights, among them BIMCO, ICS, Intercargo and International Groups of P&I Clubs, are increasingly using ‘Best Management Practices’, a standard set of recommendations, to avoid or deter piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia.