UN concerned about ‘hidden’ piracy threats

While the economic cost of Somali piracy has fallen and considerable progress has been made in deterring pirate operations, the latest attacks on Iranian fishing vessels by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean may be another signal that it is too early to cut back international counter-piracy efforts, according to the United Nations (UN).

A UN statement released earlier this week commented that due to restrictive reporting criteria, small-scale attacks on dhows and vessels were not always included in official piracy records.

"We still haven't addressed the root causes of piracy. There are still ungoverned spaces on the coastline. There is still unemployed youth that might be attracted to piracy,” said the United Nations deputy secretary general for the External Action Service (EAS), Maciej Popowski.

"[This] may hide a development that the reduced cost is masking - namely that Somali pirates still possess the means and capability - and are waiting for opportunities to strike," he said.

In it its fifth State of Maritime Piracy Report – released last month – Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) analysed the impacts of this crime, pointing out conditions conducive to the development of piracy in the first place, such as illegal fishing, poverty, political instability and a lack of economic opportunities, have not been properly addressed yet.