Its Time to Strike Hard at Pirates Who Threaten Seafarers Lives

 

by Casey Christie

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden around the Horn of Africa and beyond is making big news these days. Dubai just hosted a high profile conference on the subject and it made headlines around the world.

The main focus of the event was on the economic impact piracy is having on world trade. This is, of course, significant but in my opinion far less important than the lives of the men and woman on board the vessels being targeted.

Why is it that when a plane is hijacked no one talks about money lost yet when an oil tanker is taken it’s all about the value of the cargo?

Perhaps it is because of the picture one creates when the words oil and tanker are put together. You would be forgiven for just seeing in your mind’s eye a colossal ship with millions of dollars of oil on board.

However we must not forget that there are human beings on that oil tanker and they are a lot more precious than any amount of oil. That is why I have made the people involved, the mariners, the victims of this sick multi-million dollar ransom game, my priority.

And so they should be for all security professionals being pulled into this spreading piratical plague.

Any advice dispensed by fellow security consultants should revolve around really protecting the people affected and at risk from pirates -- providing real protective solutions that save lives as opposed to security deterrents that are not actually effective but appease the insurance companies.

I write this article after being inundated by one common question: “What is the best way for ships to secure their passage through dangerous pirate-infested waters?”

My answer is:

“Install a carefully selected, professional, armed security team with a police or military background who follow strict and clearly set out rules of engagement and employ a stringent command and control structure.”

Yes, there is the violence escalation trajectory to worry about but that will only really come into play when the vast majority of vessels travelling through dangerous waters have armed security teams on board – and we are far from that at the moment. And before we get to that point a solution to this problem must be sought and achieved on land.

I arrived at the conclusion that having an armed security team on board is the best solution through empirical experience gained in Africa working as a police officer and from professional expertise and familiarity in providing close personal protection to my clients in hostile environments.

I am sure you would come to the same conclusion if you gave the subject some thought. For instance who would you want on board a ship protecting your loved ones?

1. An unarmed security officer giving his team and the vessels crew verbal instructions on how to defend against AK47 and RPG wielding thugs?

Or

2. A highly trained ex-forces operative sufficiently armed to give the pirates back as much as they could dish out?

I am not writing this article to debate the potential solutions, again. Just to call a spade a spade and point out that placing some of the non-lethal measures on board the vessels may actually increase the danger and not reduce the risk.

Such as the unarmed security team that I know changed their clothes when locked in the citadel when the pirates boarded so as to not look like the “security team”.

Or the instance when the three unarmed security officers jumped overboard after the “sound gun” they had deployed against AK47s failed.

Let’s all get real for a second and think about it from a human perspective, from the perspective of a sailor who faces the possibility of being kidnapped and held hostage for months or possibly years.

Matters of economy, insurance and law are important -- but nowhere near as important as really trying to protect human life and dignity.

Since Concept Tactical Worldwide has entered the maritime security field through the demand for expert security advice and counsel we have been submerged in offers of non-lethal, static or experimental security solutions from companies wanting us to give our stamp of approval to their clients and ours.

And the majority of the measures are ineffective - people and companies just attempting to profit from a sad and disturbing situation.

Placing static barbed wire on ships is an impotent idea. I have seen street kids as young as 12 climb on barbed wire barefoot in Johannesburg. And if the pirates don’t have as thick a skin, barbed wire can be easily countered by using a thick blanket.

Seeking safe haven inside Citadels will only prove effective for a while -- until the pirates start to bring explosives or cutting tools on board. Or start to smoke out the crew.

Enough is surely enough. It is time to fight fire with fire. At the moment the pirates are laughing as they accept ransoms yet hold certain Indian crew members back because they don’t like the way in which the Indian Navy has taken the battle to them.

Let’s stop only thinking in economic terms and start thinking in human terms. The world’s seafarers are under siege and need the rest of the world to take note and take action.

In this battle the gloves need to come off, after all you can’t take a knife to a gun fight and you certainly cannot use over engineered submissive defensive tactics to defend against uneducated bullets.

Casey Christie is an International Security Consultant, the author of Be Your Own Bodyguard in South Africa and Managing Director of Concept Tactical Worldwide based in London.

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The Maritime Executive does not necessarily endorse the opinions herein.