A change in tactics by Somali pirates has alarmed international maritime firms and triggered a rise in the price of insuring shipping sailing off the East African coast.
Large numbers of Somali pirates are now reported to be operating from captured merchant vessels far out in the Indian Ocean, making the task of policing the area by the international naval presence almost impossible.
There has been a 150 per cent increase in the number of pirate attacks in January this year, with 29 vessels targeted by pirates and 693 hostages seized.
But some of the seamen seized have been kept on board their boats to act as armed mother ships for the pirate gangs.
The UK union, Nautilus, expressed its alarm at the “new tactics being adopted by the pirates – including the use of hijacked seafarers to operate hijacked merchant vessels as ‘motherships’.”
It says that pirates are known to have been using at least five hijacked motherships from which to launch attacks on other vessels including the bulk carrier Izumi and the tankers Polar, York, Motivator and Hannibal II.
The Danish security firm Risk Intelligence said that the use of merchant ships was a “game changer” in the pirate war, meaning that Somali gangs can operate all year round including during the monsoon season.
“When utilising captured merchant vessel in an attack, pirates eliminate the small boat disadvantage,” Risk Intelligence said. “They can pour fire into the target vessel from bridge level reducing the survivability of the bridge team.”
The result could nullify the new tactic being undertaken by ships crew under attack — that is to retreat to a safe room or citadel and lock themselves in.
“Attack teams that have boarded a target vessel and are up against a citadel situation can draw on tools and reinforcements to break down citadel defences,” Risk Intelligence said.
One consequence has been a rapid increase in insurance rates, which were already high for the East African region.
The costs could have damaging implications for seaborne trade from Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.
London’s marine insurance market has now widened the area in which owners have to pay increased premiums to longitude 78’ East – with the high risk zone now taking in a large area of the Indian Ocean as well as the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Source: The East Africa
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