Piracy off the Somali coast

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The Chinese fishing boat Tian Yu 8 under the control of Somali pirates
Operational area of ​​Somali pirates from 2005–2010

The piracy off the Somali coast in the Horn of Africa threatened important international shipping routes and the delivery of food aid to millions of Somalis , especially between 2000 and 2011 . Around a thousand pirates operated from the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea . The civil war in Somalia created the lawless space in which the militias , some of which were well armed , operated and which their backers used for their arms and ammunition deals. Since the transitional government of Somalia hardly had the means or possibilities to take action against pirates, this was partly taken over by the navies of other countries. Piracy off the Somali coast had fallen sharply after 2011, when it was fought with military means (for example as part of Operation Atalanta ) and many shipping companies also used the services of private security companies. The number of attacks fell rapidly within a few months and in 2015 not a single Somali pirate attack was detected.

In October 2016, the UN warned against a waning of attention. Several ships were attacked again in spring 2017.

causes

Since the fall of the Siad Barre government in 1991

The latter affected the livelihoods of Somali fishermen both before and after the pirate attacks. Some of the pirates used to be fishermen who justified their actions by saying that the foreign ships endangered their livelihoods by fishing in the territorial waters of Somalia. Perhaps some of them wanted to protect the fishing grounds from intruders. Some extorted “license fees” from foreign fishing fleets from the start and attacked cargo ships and passenger ships. The Kenyan expert Andrew Mwangura, whose Seafarers Assistance program mediates 90 percent of all pirates between Somali pirates and shipowners (as of 2010), named illegal fishing as the root of piracy in 2010.

According to the UN environmental program UNEP , toxic waste was dumped off Somalia from 1991 to at least 2008. In 2002, thousands of dead fish were washed up on the Somali coast. According to press reports, the 2004 tsunami broke open numerous toxic waste barrels, the contents of which may have poisoned Somali waters and coasts. In 2008 the BBC reported diseases in the Somali coastal town of Harardheere that were attributed to toxic waste.

development

Two speedboats towed by their mother ship are shot at by the US Navy in 2011.

The first recent pirate attack was the capture of the Cypriot freighter Panagia Tinou on June 15, 2002. It also attracted attention in Germany because the German frigates Bremen and Emden took part in the handling of the case. The capture was ended after 16 days with the payment of a ransom.

The pirate raids initially concentrated on Mogadishu and the surrounding area in southern Somalia, but soon shifted to the far more productive Gulf of Aden in the north. Most of the pirate activities originated in the de facto autonomous region of Puntland in northeast Somalia, more precisely from the ports of Eyl , Harardheere and Hobyo .

When piracy proved to be a profitable activity, criminals and warlords began to get involved in the field. They supported pirates and shared the ransom money usually paid with them. The ransom money was used to arm the pirates so that they could operate on the high seas with better weapons, modern navigation equipment and not only directly from the coast, but also from “mother ships”.

Somali pirates at Faina 2008

The pirate militias consisted of three different groups of people: the former fishermen with their knowledge of the sea, civil war fighters who had previously fought for various warlords on land, and technical experts who operated navigation devices and satellite telephones. With the ransom money, they can get rich quick and practice an elaborate lifestyle. This made piracy attractive to young men from Puntland and all of Somalia, who otherwise had little future.

There was no evidence to support the occasional fear that the pirates were connected to the Islamists operating in Somalia and that they might benefit from the pirates' loot. Rather, the rise of the Union of Islamic Courts in the second half of 2006 caused piracy to decline sharply. After the Union was disempowered by the invasion of Ethiopia in December 2006, pirate activities picked up again.

According to a study by Chatham House , a total of 61 successful or attempted raids on ships off Somalia were reported between January and mid-September 2008, with the ransom money collected by the pirates in 2008 totaling between 18 and 30 million dollars. A representative of the Kenyan government even stated in November 2008 that the pirates in Somalia had received ransom payments of more than 150 million US dollars (around 120 million euros) in the past 12 months. According to the International Maritime Bureau , 42 ships were successfully hijacked in 2008. As a result of the control measures, however, the number of successful pirate attacks had fallen sharply; in December 2008 only two ships were hijacked.

According to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research , citing figures from the International Maritime Bureau , the number of pirate attacks had increased overall despite the start of military operations. In the first half of 2010, 84 attacks were reported and 27 ships were hijacked. Piracy had decreased in the Gulf of Aden , but increased in the Somali Basin and the Indian Ocean.

In 2011 the peak was reached with 250 attacked ships.

Effects

As of 2005, various international organizations including the International Maritime Organization and the World Food Program had expressed concern about the rise in piracy. The piracy affected the delivery of food aid to Somalia, most of which was by sea. It is also seen as a threat to international trade as it affects the important shipping route between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea .

Ship owners have to bear high costs for insurance, security measures or ransom payments or, as an alternative, take the much longer and therefore more expensive route around Africa (Cape of Good Hope). In 2010 Egypt feared falling income from transit fees from the Suez Canal. Piracy also had a negative impact on the other countries bordering the Red Sea, such as Oman and Yemen . The decline in shipping, the increase in insurance premiums and the decline in the fishing industry played a decisive role here. The Danish shipping company AP Møller-Mærsk , the second largest logistics company in the world, announced on November 21, 2008 that it would no longer operate the tanker routes through the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden.

As a result of piracy, food prices for the Somali population had risen by 20 to 30 percent before 2010, as only a few cargo ships were ready to call at a Somali port. It also became increasingly difficult for the United Nations World Food Program to provide those in need with food, as fewer and fewer shipowners were willing to let their container ships sail into the region.

However, illegal fishing off the Horn of Africa had declined at the time, as foreign fishing fleets feared pirate attacks. Fishermen in Somalia and Kenya reported in 2010 that they were catching more fish again.

Measures to combat

Civil measures

The MARLO ( Maritime Liaison Office ) set up a corridor (the International Recommended Transit Corridor ) for safe passage for civilian ships . In August 2011, the federal government examined the use of private security services to protect German merchant ships from pirates, as offered by various companies.

On December 27, 2011, the Association of German Shipowners (VDR) again called on the federal government to create a legal basis for private security services on board merchant ships. The fight against pirates is made sometimes absurdly difficult by a number of legal hurdles. The federal government should implement the - basically already approved - certification procedure for security teams on board so that the armed protection of German ships would be possible. This was still forbidden for the almost 500 freighters and tankers flying the German flag. The Scientific Service of the Bundestag had prepared an opinion on the use of private security forces. Conclusion: A captain could be liable to prosecution when using weapons because of negligent bodily harm or even killing. Other nations use civil protection teams very successfully. According to VDR (as of the end of 2011), every actively protected ship was able to successfully defend itself against pirate attacks. The protection of the German merchant fleet is fundamentally a sovereign task . The federal government sees legal problems with the deployment of soldiers on merchant ships; the police are authorized to do so.

Somali activities

The Somali interim government had no naval forces . It has taken various measures to combat piracy, such as the occasional opening of Somali waters to foreign naval vessels. More often, however, the Somali pirates were able to escape pursuit by retreating into the territorial waters of Somalia, where the warships had to abandon the hunt.

The government of the de facto autonomous region of Puntland , from where much of the piracy originated, also made efforts to fight piracy until 2008. In May 2008, fighters from the radical Islamist al-Shabaab , part of the armed opposition to Somalia's transitional government , fought pirates. On November 21, 2008, al-Shabaab pirates attacked the coastal town of Haradhere. Presumably this was a reaction to the capturing of the supertanker Sirius Star , a ship from the Muslim brother country Saudi Arabia.

Since 2009 the de facto state of Somaliland in northern Somalia and its Somaliland armed forces have had a navy equipped by Great Britain, which has brought hundreds of pirates to justice and sentenced to prison terms.

United Nations

In May 2008, the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 1814 calling for the protection of ships transporting aid to Somalia. In June 2008 it passed resolution 1816 , which allows states cooperating with the transitional government to carry out military operations in Somali territory to combat piracy. In its resolution 1838 in October 2008, the Security Council called on all states in the region to use warships against pirates. Both NATO and Russia then announced the dispatch of ships to support the EU mission off the Somali coast. At the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on November 20, 2008, Efthimios Mitropoulos, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) , spoke out in favor of the creation of an international criminal court against arrested pirates. According to Mitropoulos, that year up to November there had been 120 pirate attacks, 35 merchant ships were kidnapped and up to 600 people were taken hostage. In December 2008, Resolutions 1848 and 1851 were followed by further calls for support, in particular for the protection of the ships of the World Food Program (WFP) and, at the same time, the mandate of the European Union.

US-led associations

Under the leadership of the United States Central Command , two multinational ship formations were in the Horn of Africa.

Combined Task Force 150

Combined Task Force 150 operational area
The USS Farragut (DDG-99) in front of a burning pirate boat in the Gulf of Aden 2010

As part of Operation Enduring Freedom since 2001 led the multinational fleet Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), among others, on the Horn of Africa , a part of the operation of the United States proclaimed war on terrorism by and supervised the Seehandelswege. The Naval Task Force is subordinate to the United States Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT) headquarters in Manama, Bahrain . There is also a logistical support unit in Djibouti . The fight against piracy is not explicitly foreseen in this operation; there are synergy effects with other missions, for example when creating the situation report.

Combined Task Force 151

In order to enable the CTF 150 to concentrate on its actual mission, the Combined Task Force 151 was set up on January 8, 2009 with the mission to combat piracy. The leader of the association is alternately provided by the participating nations. After an American and a Turkish admiral, the American Navy is once again providing the commander, who is supported by a multinational staff.

NATO military operation

From October to December 2008, NATO carried out Operation Allied Provider against pirate attacks on ships of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). This task force consisted of the Italian destroyer ITS Durand de la Penne (D560) , which was also the flagship of the task force, the Greek frigate HS Themistokles (F465), the Turkish frigate Gökova and the British frigate HMS Cumberland from parts of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2). In addition, the Dutch frigate De Ruyter (F804) took part in the NATO operation under exclusively national command.

As part of Operation Allied Protector , NATO contributed from March to the end of June 2009 with ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and from June to August 2009 with units from SNMG 2 to ensure the security of the sea routes in the Horn of Africa.

As of August 17, 2009, Operation Ocean Shield (Task Force 508) replaced Operation Allied Protector. In addition to the deployment of armed forces from SNMG 1 at sea, this operation also aims to support the countries bordering the affected sea area in developing their own capabilities to combat piracy.

EU military operation

At the beginning of November 2008, the European Union decided to deploy up to six warships and three maritime patrols to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia as part of the EU NAVFOR Somalia mission ( Operation Atalanta ). The priority task is to protect cargo ships from the World Food Program.

The EU is also supplementing this operation with the training of Somali security forces as part of the EUTM Somalia training mission and by supporting the establishment of its own coastal defense in Somalia and in the neighboring states of Djibouti , Kenya and the Seychelles as part of the EUCAP Nestor civil-military training mission .

Naval operations of other states

In addition to the operations of NATO, the EU and the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, warships from Russia (frigate Neustraschimy ), India (frigate INS Tabar ) and Saudi Arabia (frigate Al-Dammam ) took part in the fight against piracy under national command part. France also takes part under national command with the frigate Courbet and a corvette.

As part of its first naval combat operation outside the Pacific, the People's Republic of China sent the two destroyers Wuhan and Haikou and the supply ship Weishanhu (887) .

The Iran also participated with a warship in protecting its merchant fleet off the Somali coast.

On March 14, 2009, Japan dispatched the two destroyers Sazanami and Samidare from the base of the Japanese Marine Self- Defense Forces in Kure off the Somali coast.

According to an interview by Pascal Couchepin with the Sunday paper wants the Swiss Federal Council , the 35 vessels comprehensive Swiss Maritime Fleet of own troops can protect them. However, the National Council , which was the second councilor to rule on the operation, did not accept the proposal, although the Council of States had already approved the Federal Council's request. Opponents from the right-wing spectrum argued that Switzerland would move outside of its neutrality , those from the left wanted more humanitarian engagement at the root of the problem instead of armed violence.

On June 30, 2009 the Yemeni newspaper "Al Ayam" reported that eleven Arab states had decided to form a multinational fleet association in Riyadh to protect the trade routes in the Bay of Aden, in the Red Sea and in the western part of the Indian Ocean from sea pirates. According to the newspaper, the following countries wanted to participate: Egypt , Bahrain , Djibouti , Yemen , Jordan , Qatar , Kuwait , Oman , Saudi Arabia , Sudan and the United Arab Emirates .

Prosecution

On October 19, 2012, the Hamburg Regional Court (Az. 603 KLs 17/10) sentenced ten pirates from Somalia to imprisonment between two and seven years. In April 2010, the pirates attacked the freighter Taipan sailing under the German flag off the coast of their home country. The crew of the Dutch frigate Mr. Ms. Tromp (F 803) introduced the pirates; they were later extradited to Germany. The court found the pirates guilty of attacking maritime traffic and extortionate kidnapping, but its verdict was in some cases well below the prosecution's requests. It was the first pirate trial in Germany for several centuries. After serving their prison sentence, the Hamburg Senate proved helpless when attempting to deport the people to Somalia. Four pirates left voluntarily, the rest lived in Hamburg in 2018.

Another trial against a suspected pirate who entered Germany after the hijacking of the German chemical tanker “ Marida Marguerite ” started in January 2014 before the Osnabrück Regional Court. This alleged pirate applied for asylum under a false name and only came under the scrutiny of the investigating authorities when his fingerprints were compared. Because the same fingerprints had been secured on the “Marida Marguerite”. Among other things, he is accused of having ordered the torture of the crew as "Commander Salaax" in the form of mock executions and in the form of tying off the genitals and hanging them up. On April 17, the verdict was pronounced, he was sentenced to twelve years in prison for extortionate kidnapping and particularly serious extortion. The defense lawyers announced that they would appeal.

In March 2015, another alleged pirate was picked up by the federal police who allegedly participated in the kidnapping of the German chemical tanker Marida Marguerite . He had entered Bavaria with a forged Italian passport and, when comparing his fingerprints in the search system, came under urgent suspicion as a possible accomplice.

Another individual case has been clarified since August 22, 2015 after another suspected pirate, who is charged with having been involved in the hijacking of the cargo ship " Susan K ", was arrested in a home for asylum seekers in Reutlingen.

In November 2015, another Somali asylum seeker claimed to be a "former Somali pirate" in a trial before the Potsdam Regional Court for manslaughtering a compatriot in an asylum seekers' home. The man, whose personal details could not be clearly clarified - in addition to the name under which he was named, the indictment listed three other 'alias' names with different ages and dates of birth - had been in France before filing his asylum application in Germany .

Armed security forces on board

The Association of German Shipowners called on the federal government to quickly create legal certainty for the deployment of private armed security forces on ships flying the German flag. In December 2012, the German Bundestag passed a law clearing the way for the protection teams on board; necessary legal regulations are in progress (as of March 2013). This was discussed at the National Maritime Conference (April 2013). The VDR wrote: The planned approval procedure for the security companies must be internationally compatible and should therefore be based on the strict guidelines of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Maritime Security Ordinance came into force on June 21, 2013.

Since 2012, private security services have been used on almost half of all ships that pass through the endangered sea area. The Somali pirates have not hijacked a ship since June 2013.

literature

Web links

Commons : Piracy off the Somali coast  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Walter Brehm: Piracy and the logic of the West . St. Galler Tagblatt. November 21, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  2. ↑ Sana Aftab Khan: Tackling Piracy in Somali Waters: Rising attacks impede delivery of humanitarian assistance ( English ) In: UN Chronicle . United Nations Department of Public Information. 2007. Archived from the original on April 22, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  3. ↑ The Return of the Pirates NZZ from April 15, 2017
  4. ^ The State of the Environment in Somalia: A Desk Study ( English , PDF) United Nations Environment Program. December 2005. Archived from the original on July 12, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  5. ↑ Illegal fishing benefits from EU operations in the Horn of Africa . The press . November 20, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  6. ↑ a b Horand Knaup: Rich booty, poor fishermen . In: Spiegel Online , April 12, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2012. 
  7. ↑ Andrea Böhm, Heinrich Wefing: Seeräuberei: Who is the pirate here? In: Die Zeit , No. 49/2008
  8. ^ The State of the Environment in Somalia: A Desk Study ( English , PDF) United Nations Environment Program. December 2005. Archived from the original on July 12, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2010. (No page reference.)
  9. ↑ World only cares about pirates ( en ) In: BBC News . November 21, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  10. ^ Eckart Lohse: Pirate Terror , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. April 19, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  11. ↑ Vijay Sakhuja: Asymmetric Warfare And Low Intensity Maritime Operations: Challenges For Indian Navy ( English , PDF; 702 kB) In: ORF Occasional Paper # 5 . August 2006. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  12. ^ Reply of the Federal Government to a small question (PDF) October 24, 2008. Accessed October 25, 2010.
  13. ↑ Kathryn Westcott: Somalia's pirates face battles at sea ( English ) In: BBC News . April 23, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  14. ^ A b Dominic Johnson : Pirates off Africa: Somalia's lucrative pirate business . In: taz.de , October 3, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  15. ↑ Robyn Hunter: Somali pirates living the high life ( English ) In: BBC News . October 28, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  16. ↑ Gulf of Aden gold mine: Pirates have already extorted 150 million dollars . In: Spiegel Online , November 21, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  17. ↑ Somali pirate clampdown 'working' . In: BBC News . January 1, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  18. ↑ Pirates are not deterred . German Institute for Economic Research e. V. (DIW Berlin). July 21, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  19. ↑ Piracy in waters off the coast of Somalia ( English ) International Maritime Organization. 2007. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ Piracy makes goods more expensive worldwide . Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  21. ^ Daniel Zadra: The Yemeni Dilemma - Effects of Somali Piracy and Refugee Flows on Yemen, a Country in the Field of Tension Between Tribal Culture and Central State (Diploma Thesis) (PDF, 4 MB) University of Vienna. 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  22. ↑ Islamists hunt pirates: Anger over the capture of a "Muslim ship" . In: Frankfurter Rundschau . November 22, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  23. ^ Matthias Weber, Abdirizak Sheikh: No Peace for Somalia? The Somali Tragedy and International Terrorism , 2nd edition, mw Verlag, Frankfurt 2010, ISBN 978-3-934517-11-0 , p. 152.
  24. ↑ Pirates - the involuntary animal rights activists . In: Tages-Anzeiger . January 12, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  25. ↑ ORF report. Accessed on August 19, 2011.
  26. ↑ Shipowners want to arm themselves against pirates
  27. ↑ Barbara Starr: US destroyer pursuing hijacked ship in Somali waters, military says ( English ) CNN . October 29, 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  28. ↑ Nick Rankin: No vessel is safe from modern pirates ( English ) In: BBC News . March 11, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  29. ↑ Abdiqani Hassan: Crew say lucky to be alive after Somali hijack (en) , Reuters . April 23, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2010. 
  30. ^ Six killed in clashes between Somali pirates and Islamists , Agence France-Presse . May 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2010. 
  31. ↑ Somali rebels take action against pirates . Euronews. November 21, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  32. ↑ somaliareport.com ( Memento from January 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  33. ↑ Security Council meeting 5902 ( English ) UNdemocracy.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  34. ↑ https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/somalia-uno-sagt-piraten-den-kampf-an/1248374.html
  35. ^ Nato: Military operation off Somalia confirmed , Focus . October 9, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2010. 
  36. ↑ Piracy: UN court for pirates demanded , RIA Novosti. November 21, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  37. ↑ Press Conference on the occasion of the launch of the EU NAVFOR ( en , PDF; 80 kB) December 9, 2008. Accessed November 12, 2010.
  38. ↑ New Counter-Piracy Task Force Established ( English ) US Navy. August 1, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  39. ↑ Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 ( English ) USNAVCENT. May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  40. ^ The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) ( English ) Allied Maritime Component Command in Naples. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  41. ^ EU sends warships against pirates , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. September 29, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  42. ↑ Chinese Navy sends most sophisticated ships on escort mission off Somalia (English) , Xinhua. December 26, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  43. ↑ Iranian warship to Somalia (English) , Neue Zürcher Zeitung. December 21, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  44. ↑ Japan sends MSDF ships to fight pirates off Somalia . Japanese embassy in Berlin. March 15, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  45. ↑ Swiss soldiers do not go on pirate hunting . Swiss television . September 24, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  46. ↑ Arab countries want to use joint fleet association against sea pirates , RIA Novosti. June 30, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  47. ↑ LG Hamburg, judgment Az. 603 KLs 17/10 of October 19, 2012 = openJur 2013, 21850.
  48. ↑ a b Somali pirates sentenced to imprisonment in Germany . Zeit Online , October 19, 2012.
  49. ↑ Hamburg cannot deport Somali pirates . Welt Online , April 10, 2018
  50. ↑ landgericht-osnabrueck.niedersachsen.de
  51. ↑ Suspected pirate arrested. hr-online, May 12, 2013, archived from the original on June 7, 2013 ; Retrieved May 12, 2013 .
  52. ↑ asylum seekers. Suspected Somali pirate caught in Hesse. Die Welt , May 13, 2013, accessed on May 13, 2013 .
  53. ↑ Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung: Pirates sent “friendly greetings” from the torture ship.
  54. ^ Norddeutscher Rundfunk: Sabine Puls & Jan Liebold Trial: What happened on the torture ship
  55. ↑ NDR.de ndr.de
  56. ↑ German police catch Somali pirates again ( Memento from May 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  57. ↑ Bild.de Did he kidnap the freighter "Susan K."? | Suspected Somali pirate arrested in asylum seekers home
  58. ↑ SWR.de asylum seekers from Reutlingen - alleged pirate arrested
  59. ↑ RBB.de Alleged pirate from Somalia faces 15 years imprisonment - Potsdam's mysterious defendant
  60. ↑ Press release April 9, 2013
  61. ↑ Protection against pirates for seagoing ships under the German flag
  62. ↑ Achilles Skordas: The Dark Side of Counter-piracy Policies. In: the same and Panos Koutrakos (eds.): The Law and Practice of Piracy at Sea. European and International Perspectives . Hart Publishing, 2014, pp. 299 and 320 ff.