Satellite photos of Eyl show infrastructure benefits of piracy. Source: Treasure Mapped: Using Satellite Imagery to Track the Developmental Effects of Somali Piracy, Chatham House.
Puntland authorities have threatened legal against think tank Chatham House for its report examining the economic impact of piracy on Somalia as the latest figures from the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, show a slight drop in the total number of recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery. The falling numbers come after four consecutive years of increased piracy and armed robbery worldwide.
Pirate attacks against vessels in East and West Africa accounted for the majority of world attacks in 2011, signalling a rising trend, says the IMB’s global piracy report. Of the 439 attacks reported to the IMB in 2011, 275 attacks took place off Somalia on the east coast and in the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa.
The 802 crew members taken hostage in 2011 also marks a decrease from the four-year high of 1,181 in 2010. Overall in 2011, there were 45 vessels hijacked, 176 vessels boarded, 113 vessels fired upon and 105 reported attempted attacks. A total of eight crew members were killed throughout the year, the same number as 2010.
Somali pirates continue to account for the majority of attacks – approximately 54%. But while the overall number of Somali incidents increased from 219 in 2010 to 237 in 2011, the number of successful hijackings decreased from 49 to 28.
The overall figures for Somali piracy could have been much higher if it were not for the continued efforts of international naval forces, IMB reports. In the last quarter of 2011 alone, pre-emptive strikes by international navies disrupted at least 20 Pirate Action Groups (PAGs) before they could become a threat to commercial fleets. The last quarter of 2010 saw 90 incidents and 19 vessels hijacked; in 2011, those numbers fell to 31 and four, respectively.
“These pre-emptive naval strikes, the hardening of vessels in line with the Best Management Practices and the deterrent effect of Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel, have all contributed to this decrease,” said Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, which has been monitoring piracy worldwide since 1991. “The role of the navies is critical to the anti-piracy efforts in this area.”
Meanwhile, the Puntland government has issued a press release which says it will “pursue disciplinary action by Brunel University against the lecturer who produced a politically motivated and biased research with a heavy influence by a Somali political group with a particular agenda against Puntland State. The researcher’s lack of neutrality, objectivity and professionalism has produced research that damages the university’s image and profile” in response to a Chatham House report which used satellite imagery to assess the impact of piracy income on the main cities of Garowe and Bosasso.
Dr Anja Shortland, Senior Lecturer at Brunel University says: “Significant amounts of ransom monies are spent within Somalia, but conspicuous consumption appears to be limited by social norms dictating resource-sharing. Around a third of pirate ransoms are converted into Somali shillings, benefiting casual labour and pastoralists in Puntland”.
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