OSINFO - Open Sources Information

by Peter Lehr

Abstract

The article describes the escalation of acts of maritime piracy emanating from the coast of Somalia,  comparing  them to the wave of aerial hijackings in the 1960s and 1970s in terms of demands, including political demands. The advantages for the pirates to gang up with land-based al-Shabaab terrorists  are discussed and likely developments sketched.

Introduction

Since the brazen attack of Somali pirates on the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit in November 2005, and in the wake of the successful hijacking of the French luxury yacht Le Ponent, the M/V Faina or the super tanker Sirius Star in 2008, scores of articles and op-eds have been published on the subject of modern piracy. These usually highlights the more spectacular aspects of this form of maritime crime, such as the brazen modus operandi of the pirates, the parachuting of huge sums of money on the hijacked vessels, or the operations of naval special forces against some of the pirate gangs. 

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