Glory days for piracy

The stories of pirates which make the front pages during the past weeks, are the rule rather than the exception. Mody: ‘The general public still has a wrong idea of piracy. Through movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, a hint of romance and heroism has been created. As if pirates still are seaman with a sword who grapple boats and abduct virgins. The new pirates strike with a AK47. Piracy is a crime, you cannot confuse fiction with reality.’ After a lot of complaints, mainly from Southeast Asia, in 1993 the International Maritime Bureau established the Centre on Piracy Report. Stand: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ‘Those times, it happened regularly that boats in the region of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia were hijacked for their load, then were painted again and used for all kinds of smuggling’, says Mody. ‘This phenomenon of ‘phantom ships’ no longer exists.
Today, the pirates are after the ransom money.’ Also, the geographic sphere of action has moved. ‘By collective patrols in the Street of Malakka, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia succeeded in pushing back piracy. In the first trimester of this year, precisely zero attacks have been reported. – still it is a high risk region.’ In the year 2008, pirates strike more often along the coast of Nigeria and Somalia. ‘Due to the failing of the establishment of a real government in Somalia, the pirates in the region can operate in a climate of unpunishment. They know they have little chance of persecution.’ Nigeria, which makes a third of the reported cases this year, is another story. ‘There is a proper government and the country has decisive marine armed forces, but the attacks have another goal: political change. In Nigeria - Africa’s biggest producer of oil -  there is a feeling for that the government doesn’t divide the earnings of the oil in a proper way. Piracy is a political act. But it is still a crime, and has an effect on the whole shipping industry.’
The past three years, the number of reported attacks has slightly gone down. In 2007, 263 incidents were reported. ‘The best way to fight against piracy, is by prosecuting the offenders’, so concludes Mody. ‘Governments must recognize the problem and liberate the necessary means. But let’s be realistic: piracy has always exist and will never stop. There will always be new pirates.’ (kc)