Pirates attack large oil tanker 870 miles off Somalia coast
Lloyd’s List
IT HAS been said often that a solution to stop pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean would always have to be political – some concerted effort on the part of concerned governments to bring pressure on Somalia and its unruly neighbours along with substantial aid to restore order to Somalia’s lawless coast. But such arrangements take time. The current escalation of attacks has demonstrated that the luxury of time no longer exists.
Since the close of the monsoon rains, all parties were waiting for a new spate of attacks to begin. But several developments raise alarms of increasingly aggressive behaviour. As reported in Lloyd’s List, hostage negotiators were urging level heads regarding death threats against three seafarers taken hostage from a Spanish tuna boat in the Gulf of Aden.
Today brings news of an attack against a very large crude carrier almost 870 miles off Somalia’s coast in the Indian Ocean. This is the most far-flung attack yet, and seems calculated to show the ineffectiveness of the military response from nations patrolling the region.
In fairness, without much greater expenditure and commitment the situation cannot be contained. Perhaps it would be impossible with even vastly more money and gunships thrown at the problem.
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