The fight against piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia : international cooperation illustrated

Abstract

The age-old crime of piracy has a dark and sinister face; having resurfaced with startling speed during the 1980s, it is now viewed with great concern by all nations of the world. Any ship of whatever kind is susceptible to maritime violence once at sea: whether a tanker, merchant ship or fishing trawler, its easy accessibility, relative isolation and promise of valuable cargo renders it enticing prey to renegade and vicious criminals plying the seas in various parts of the world’s ocean spaces, mainly South-East Asia and the Far East, the Indian Sub-Continent, the Americas and Africa. It has been noted that such attacks against ships: threatened seafarers, the security of navigation and the marine environment, and also had the potential to disrupt the provision of humanitarian aid, fishing, tourism and marine scientific research. The alteration of navigational routes in order to bypass areas of suspected pirate activity also affected commerce.