What is going on off the East African Coast?

As the world’s attention is glued to the global financial crisis and the upcoming US elections, the banditry and lawlessness that has literally split Somalia into two and is spreading into the Indian Ocean, is escalating. 

Somali pirates are operating high speed cutters off the coast of Somali armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades and are becoming brazen with each successive hijack as they demand huge ransoms running into the millions of dollars.

The latest hijack has had unintended consequences for the Kenyan government when it was revealed that the contents of the Belize-registered Ukranian vessel, Faina, destined for the port of Mombasa, included anti-aircraft guns,rocket-propelled grenades and 30 Russian T-72 tanks. That’s a story for another post.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were 30 incidents of piracy reported off the coast of Somali in 2007 and so far this year, an additional 30 vessels have reported a hijacking incident.

Despite the existence of a multi-national naval force based in Djibouti, piracy along East Africa’s coast has continued unabated. The latest hijacking has prompted the Russian navy to dispatch a patrol ship, the Neustrashimy, to the Somali coast. According to the Russian news agency, Itar-Tass, the ship, dispatched last Wednesday, September 24th, is capable of providing anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft support. Russian citizens are among the crew of the Faina.

The United States also has a warship off the Somali coast watching the hijacked Ukranian ship. The USS Howard’s mission is to ensure that none of the military equipment make it into Somali’s mainland.

Recent hijackings off the Somali coast:

• Thursday September 25th – Ukranian vessel hijacked – $35 million ranson demanded for release of vessel. 
• Friday September 26th –      Greek petroleum tanker with a crew of 19 hijacked
• September 14th, 2008 –       Indian vessel – Stolt Valor hijacked
• May 28, 2008 –                    German MV Lehman Timber ($US 750,000 ransom paid) and Turkish MV Arean hijacked

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