Piracy threat moves closer to home

Piracy in the Indian Ocean/
Gulf of Aden and Red Sea
regions is continuing to show
no signs of easing, while
African copycat pirates
become bolder, threatening
the shipping industry in
South Africa.
According to the
International Maritime
Bureau’s Piracy Reporting
Centre (IMB PRC), more
than 60% of all piracy
incidents reported last
year were by pirate gangs
operating off the coast of
Somalia and in the Arabian
Sea.
However, it warned that the
success of Somali pirates had
prompted criminals in parts
of Africa to try their hands at
piracy. Since May, there has
been an increasing number of
pirate attacks reported off the
coast of West Africa and the
Gulf of Guinea.
The IMB PRC said: “Since
then, the number of attacks
has increased significantly,
although it’s virtually
impossible to accurately
gauge the amount of pirate
activity due to insufficient
reporting from the region.”
Insurer Lloyd’s Market
Association has listed the
Gulf of Guinea in the same
risk category as Somalia.
This gives South Africa
a reason to be concerned
too; the increasing number
of pirate attacks along the
continent’s coastline could
see the cost of shipping
to and from the country
skyrocket as increased
insurance premiums burden
shippers.
This would also increase
the price of imported goods
and in turn make it more
difficult to export from the
country.
The IMB PRC
added: “With so much
potentially at stake, it is
perhaps remarkable that
little is being done on the
international stage to combat
piracy in the region.
“Local coastal defences
are seen as weak, while the
coastline itself is craggy and
offers a variety of hiding
places for attackers.”
Earlier this year, speaking
in Pretoria at a Southern
African Development
Community (SADC)
extraordinary meeting
on regional anti-piracy
strategies, South Africa’s
Defence Minister, Lindiwe
Sisulu, called for “robust
rules of engagement” to deal
with pirates.
Sisulu told delegates:
“Many times they [pirates]
murder, take hostages, or
do whatever is necessary to
accomplish their mission.”
She said that over the
past few months piracy had
become a major cause for
concern for the southern
Africa region.
“Our major trade artery
along Africa’s east coast
is becoming increasingly
vulnerable, with pirates
moving south, especially
with the recent discovery of
oil and gas off the Tanzanian
coastline,” she said.
“With six million tonnes
of oil transported around
South Africa’s western
coastline every month and
SADC waters becoming
an alternative route for
companies wishing to
avoid piracy around the
Horn of Africa, our waters
have become an attractive
alternative to Somali
pirates trying to avoid the
clampdown of the maritime
task forces around eastern
Africa.
“If pirates move into South
African trade routes, it will
have a detrimental effect
on many economies,” she
warned.