With little fanfare, the pirate war continues

Perhaps it is an ominous sign that little has been heard recently of the seafaring war against pirates along the east African coast.

I would have given little or no thought about the goings-on there had I not read an article a short time ago about a Somali pirate having been fatally shot by a private security guard on board a Panamanian-flagged freighter owned by the United Arab Emirates. The incident appears to be the first such pirate killing by a private contractor.

In fact, some quick reading showed just how clueless I was about the situation over there. First, I had no idea of the military structure among international navies patrolling the Indian Ocean for pirates. Operation Atalanta is what the mission is called and involves the European Union Naval Forces, an entity I had largely forgot had existed.

The EU Navy is made up at the present time of navies from eight European states: Italy, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Greece. Other countries, notably the United States, Australia and Japan are also among nations in the pirate-fighting business there.

But what I likewise didn’t know and is most disturbing is the extent of the problem right now over there. Two more cargo ships were hijacked Tuesday. One is a Bermuda-flagged vessel with owners from the British Virigin Island and a Maltese-flagged ship with a Turkish owner. This was the same day that the pirate was killed while the MV Almezaan managed to repel hijackers.

The fatal shooting of the pirate has set off alarm bells among some in the shipping industry. There are worries that the killing might spur more violence among pirates. Legal issues also complicate the situation especially where Somalia is involved as that country stews in anarchy.

It’s not a good situation over there and, as much as I would like to get back on the high seas, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that east African coast.