At the end of the 20th century, the pirates of the Strait of Malacca caused a lot of problems for shipping, including the Soviet one. But in 2004, their dashing fame, reflected in many films, faded against the backdrop of the audacity of new competitors. Countries around the world have declared a real war on raiders from the coast of Somalia - the number of battle cruisers concentrated today in the Gulf of Aden is comparable to the number of ships of the military group in the Persian Gulf. How do the sea bandits manage to keep attacking?
Somali piracy is on the rise: in 2006, the raiders made 25 attacks, in 2007 - 48, in 2008 - already 111, 42 ships were captured. The attack goes like this: motor boats approaching the ship, moving at a speed of about 30 knots (pirates target ships moving at speeds up to 16 knots as victims). The bandits are armed with Kalashnikovs (very rusty), machine guns and grenade launchers. Initially, the raiders often got on board without firing a shot. However, when the sailors, defending themselves, began to use hoses, and the shipowners began to carry private security guards on the ships, the pirates responded to this with automatic and machine-gun bursts, forcing people not to appear on the deck. If the capture took place - the captives are waiting for hunger, thirst, lack of medicine, rudeness and constant threats, the severity of their treatment is directly proportional to the success of the negotiations. Compliance of the shipowner depends on whether the flight was insured, the ransom varies from several hundred thousand dollars to more than three million. In 2008, at the request of the federal government of Somalia, the UN passed a resolution allowing warships to pursue pirates in Somali territorial waters. The cruisers of the European Union, NATO and many countries came to the Gulf of Aden. From Russian ships the fight against pirates was carried out in turn by the cruisers Neustrashimy, Admiral Vinogradov and Admiral Panteleev. Now they have been replaced by the Admiral Tributs, which will stay in the bay until the end of October. The most successful Russian mission, of course, can be considered the capture by Admiral Panteleev of three pirate boats and a carrier vessel - it turned out to be a fishing trawler with 39 people on board. Moreover, 11 of them turned out to be pirate captives, Pakistani fishermen. But what to do with the captured pirates, the authorities could not decide for a long time. Carry with you? Take away weapons and let go (were there such precedents)? As a result, the bandits were handed over to Pakistan, whose fishing boat they captured.
If the capture took place - the captives are waiting for hunger, thirst, lack of medicine, rudeness and constant threats, the severity of their treatment is directly proportional to the success of the negotiations.“But not only them should be judged,” says Vice Admiral Oleg Burtsev, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Navy. - These guys were given Kalashnikov assault rifles and promised gigantic sums - $ 100 for boarding. And new fighters will quickly come to their place. You need to look for someone who gets all the profit, sitting in an office far from Somalia. Pirate headquarters on land is difficult to detect. “Today the pirate with his 100 dollars returned to his family, and tomorrow he was told: let's go, here is your place in the boat. It is impossible to exterminate pirates together with the civilian population, Burtsev continues. “Although some of the armed formations that control the territories of Somalia may support piracy.” Today, about 80 percent of the ships passing through the Gulf of Aden gather in groups and then move as part of a convoy under the protection of a cruiser. However, waiting for a convoy is costly, and some shipowners force captains to take risks and go unprotected. Yes, and the convoy is not an ideal way out - ships come with different speed, which could be fatal. “Pirates need 7–20 minutes to get on board,” explains Oleg Burtsev. “The escort ship may not have time to approach during this time, and after that it’s too late: it won’t shoot its own cargo ship with hostages on board.” However, sometimes marines are placed on the bulk carriers of the convoy. The area of action of pirates is increasing: they are increasingly attacking not in the bay, but in the Indian Ocean. It is possible that the battle cruisers of the countries present in the Gulf could, by uniting, cover the entire danger zone with radars - but for this it is necessary to appoint a single command for the ships of different countries. So far this has not been done. Of course, not all merchant ships without protection are doomed. Some ships, such as the Russian tanker NS Commander, attacked on April 27 this year, managed to break away from the chase, skillfully maneuvering. But pirates are increasingly firing to kill. Sailors use hoses, barbed wire around the deck, and even slingshots. But fighting bandits is not the business of peaceful sailors. How much longer will they become hostages of the interests of shipowners and countries that have not agreed among themselves?
The road to the lair of the Somali pirates
“Mombasa is a beautiful city with tall stone buildings. The houses have a lot of furniture made by wonderful craftsmen. Men and women wear elegant, richly finished clothes. This city is bustling with life. In addition, he has a good port, where many people work.- this description is borrowed from the Portuguese ship's diary of the 16th century.
What the captain of the Ukrainian ship "Faina" Vladimir Kolobkov wrote about Mombasa is not known for certain, because he died in captivity with Somali pirates. A Ukrainian cargo ship with weapons on board was captured in neutral waters near Somalia in September 2008. Six months later, we went to those parts, on a rescue expedition.
39°40? east longitude, 4°3? south latitude - these are the exact coordinates of the Kenyan port of Mombasa, where a small plane was waiting for our expedition, the pilots of which undertook to transport us to the capital of Somalia, the city of Mogadishu.
One landing strip in Mogadishu is controlled by Jamaat al-Shabaab, a radical Islamist movement with ties to al-Qaeda. Another usable airstrip is owned by the Warlords Alliance. Previously, we agreed for an impressive amount with one of them, Abdul-Malik, that our plane would land on his runway and not be shot down by either the American Stinger or the Russian Igla. We waited all day for the takeoff announcement. Some aunts with goats, pot-bellied guys in turbans crowded into our plane, and only black pilots did not appear in any way.
Slowly slurping, full of bewilderment, in the evening we set off to wander around Mombasa. Today it is the second largest city in Kenya after Nairobi. The ancient part of it is located on an island with an area of 14 sq. km. Port and Fort Jesus mark the boundaries of the old city with a labyrinth of narrow nooks and crannies. In Mombasa lived and live side by side Muslims, Hindus and Christians. They have been living since the times when sea and land trade routes crossed in the city.
In those places where the pirates captured Faina, somewhere between Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu, there was once the mythical state of Punt, or the literary Paradise Lost by John Milton, an English poet, author of political pamphlets and religious treatises. The atmosphere of mystery, which was generated by old legends and myths, is supported by the ruins of Arab cities hidden in the jungle.
The Arabs began to build trading ports along the coast since the end of the 1st millennium AD. That is why the East African coast is the territory of Islam. In the 8th and 9th centuries, Arab ships plied the waters of the Red Sea and sailed through the Gulf of Aden to the Indian Ocean. The development of trade caused the flourishing of the East African cities of Lamu, Malindi and Mombasa. Peaceful trade for many years united representatives of different nations, cultures and religions. From this Arab-African mixture, the Swahili culture was formed. The period of peace lasted for almost six hundred years, until the Portuguese arrived on the coast.
When I was at school, one boy got a “deuce” from us, assuring the geography teacher that there were two discoverers of the sea route from Europe to India, one was called Vaska, and the other was Gama. But we all know that Vasco da Gama is not a husband and wife, but a Portuguese navigator who ended up in these parts in 1498. Relations between the greedy "vaskas and dins" and the local population heated up very quickly.
In the 16th century, the Portuguese captured and destroyed the trading cities of the Arabs. Shortly thereafter, in 1596, they built Fort Jesus in Mombasa, which was to guard their new possessions.
However, the "warriors of Jesus" took a disadvantageous position, because without support from the depths of the continent they were not able to constantly fight back. In the XVIII century, the Arabs regained the coast. Almost a hundred years later, in 1824, the British settled in the fort.
Under the guise of fighting slavery, the British achieved the division of East Africa, leaving behind the territories of modern Kenya and Uganda. In 1895, the British government organized the East African Protectorate, later called British East Africa. Mombasa is the capital of the country...
On the second day, everyone returned to the plane in the morning - shameless goats, black-faced aunts, turbaned wuiks and our rescue expedition. Everyone except the pilots. Groundhog Day.
Walking around Mombasa again. In the northern part of the island, numerous bridges connect the city to the mainland. In the south, the crossing is possible only by ferry. In the morning and in the evening, a long queue lined up on the ferry. The good news is that the crossing itself only lasts a few minutes. The beaches south of Mombasa are considered the most beautiful in Kenya. Over the picturesque coast where they filmed commercials chocolate "Bounty", towering modern hotel complexes. Wide white sand beaches, palm trees, sun, turquoise sea and heat softened by the sea breeze - sorry for the banality, but this could look like paradise.
On the third day, we were sitting on the plane, as if “scattered from Basseinaya Street” were doing it in an uncoupled car: “instead of a hat on the move, he put on a frying pan!” It was also time for me to put on the frying pan, because due to an unforeseen delay, the television authorities were ready to knock on the head. Finally, takeoff was announced. And then a “friend's call” - it turns out that Abdul-Malik, whom we paid, was shot, and there was a significant risk that an unknown plane without identification marks would be shot from heavy machine guns on landing. We consulted and decided not to risk it. It is better to rent jeeps with security. And drive to Somalia along the East African coast.
In the morning, before the hot and unusually humid air became so thick that it was impossible to go outside, we hurried to visit the city market. Somewhere, as far away as from Kyiv to Lvov, people are killed in queues for humanitarian aid, and in Mombasa - exotic papaya fruits, coconuts, mangoes and pineapples, fresh vegetables, spicy spices, fresh meat and fish - the counters were bursting with food . We stocked up on provisions and rented two all-terrain vehicles for $70 per day. The police department ordered two more police all-terrain vehicle escorts for the same money and 10 armed policemen - $40 per day for each.
Departure the next day. It's time to say goodbye to the beaches of Mombasa. Guests of the hotel, who went out for afternoon tea under palm trees, are introduced to local folklore. "Hakuna matata" - translated from Swahili into English as "no problem". But a more accurate translation into Russian sounds like “everything is on the drum!”
By the way, about the drums. We need a beach to sunbathe, play sports, enjoy the scenery, and for the locals, this is another trading floor. As soon as the tide begins to ebb, dozens of merchants come to the coast offering a wide variety of souvenirs - tom-toms, textiles and carvings. Do not be deceived, not all products are masterpieces, but some gizmos deserve attention. I liked one plate, I asked the merchant how much it costs. $100 was the answer. Well, well, it's a little expensive for a plate, in my opinion, so I turned around and started walking away.
Hey white! What do you think I'm standing here to tell everyone about the price of my product?! - I heard in the back in bad English.
I had to turn around.
I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you said?
I say, since I asked “how much”, then you owe me $ 100, and take the plate!
The Negro interspersed his demands with Swahili curses and offensive gestures. The crowd of blacks somehow noticeably thickened. They surrounded me. They look ominously, in the manner of black racists in Hollywood films.
To make it clearer to me, the merchant switched to dirty English curses. I confess, I could not restrain myself and rushed to hammer his head in the ribs with this plate! So that he looks through them at the white light, as through prison bars !!!
This is where ours came in. The pack of black hooligans disappeared in an instant, and the merchant handed me a plate. Like, “take it for free, white master!” Still handed him one dollar. Now we eat dumplings with sour cream from this ill-fated plate.
Do you have weapons? our guide then asked me.
Where? Of course not.
A license to carry a pistol can be purchased for $5,000. The blacks don't have that kind of money, and you acted so cocky, like armed whites usually do, that's why these bad guys ran away.
The next morning at the police station, we were taught another expression in Swahili: "Haraka haraka haina baraka" - in Russian it is about the same as "hurry slowly." It turns out that in addition to the money that we owe for all-terrain vehicles and the convoy, it is required to pay an additional $ 3,000 to the police chief for an authorizing signature. We bargained in vain. I had to pay this money as well, and refuse the all-terrain vehicles of the convoy. The remaining dollars were only enough for three armed guards, who went in "our" "Toyotas".
Between Mombasa and Malindi stretch plantations of coconuts, pineapples and agaves. From the leaves of the agave, sisal is obtained - a material used in the production of ropes, ropes and burlap. Village huts with thatched roofs hide in the shade of palm trees, looking like Ivan Franko's hut. Here such buildings are called "makuti". It seems that life under the palm trees is serene, but in reality the standard of living of the local population is very low. However, real hunger is not known here. After all, hunger is the scourge of the Black Continent.
The road (120 km), connecting Mombasa with Malindi, in several places stumbles upon bays cutting the land. Marlins, "sailboats", sharks - there are many predatory fish in the local waters. Everyone here knows who Hemingway is. The greatest writer of the 20th century caught marlin not only off the coast of Cuba, but also in Kenya. If you are lucky and you fish out a marlin, it must be branded and released back into the sea. This is required by local law. The rest of the fish species are not so protected, they are waiting for a photo session with proud fishermen and a skewer.
Not far from the border with Somalia is the Lamu archipelago. On the island of the same name, the largest - an area of 70 square meters. km, there is a town, which is also called Lamu. Most tourists get here by plane from Nairobi, Mombasa or Malindi. The airport is located on the neighboring island of Manda. Stop! We went back and read the name of the island with the accent on the first syllable! Now that's right, let's move on.
Lamu is a city of robbers, traders of "living goods". From the end of the 17th century to the second half of the 19th century, the slave market flourished here. The life of the islanders is still closely connected with the sea. All they earn is merchant shipping and fishing. Here, by the way, excellent lobsters are caught.
From the nearest coast, Lamu can be reached by motorboat or a more typical sailing dhow. On this fragile sailboat, fishermen, merchants and pirates walk the sea. You can't tell right away who is who. However, they are all here - "all at once." A shipyard operates on Lamu Island, producing ships with a characteristic triangular sail for fishermen, merchants and pirates. Such vessels have been built here according to the same drawings for hundreds of years, without using any mechanisms, only the simplest tools. The body is made of wood, the cracks are clogged with cotton soaked in coconut oil. It takes about a year to assemble a medium-sized ship.
On the coast of the Indian Ocean, near the equator, the rhythm of life has been determined by the winds since time immemorial. The cool southern monsoon of Kusi helped the dhow ships to sail to the coast of Arabia. And it doesn't matter that the Faina was 200 miles from the coast. Experienced sailors say that a huge cargo ship, the size of a multi-storey building, is surrounded by a dhow flotilla. Then the pirates make a warning shot from a grenade launcher. Then, if the ship does not slow down, the next shot is fired from a grenade launcher - already aimed and below the waterline. The ship gets a hole, involuntarily already slows down and lists on a padded side. Finally, grappling hooks come into play. And the captain of the ship is personally responsible for the safety of the ship, and for the safety of the cargo, and for the lives of the crew. Therefore, the captain of the Faina did not wait for a shot below the waterline ... The pirates and their prey returned to their lair along with the monsoon, blowing from the north.
On the beaches of the last Kenyan seaside town of Mararvi, we had the opportunity to stop and gain strength before moving to Bur Gabo and Kismayo, the Somali settlements of the clan of nomadic Darod tribes, in order to rescue Ukrainian sailors languishing there in captivity. Although the Darod are not the largest ethnic group in Somalia (about 22% of the total population), they are more famous than other Somali tribes. After all, they are basically what they mean when they say "Somali pirates."
Darod sea nomads live on both sides of the Gulf of Aden - in Somalia, Kenya and Yemen. They are sure that Allah sent them these lands and waters for food. In essence, the Darod live in the Middle Ages, but with grenade launchers and Kalashnikovs. There is no centralized power, there is nothing, and a person is forced to do any work, even criminal, in order to survive.
January 2012
From the book "I'm coming to you!" Feats of Svyatoslav [= Svyatoslav] author Prozorov Lev Rudolfovich From the book Russian Heroes [Svyatoslav the Brave and Evpaty Kolovrat. “Coming at you!”] author Prozorov Lev Rudolfovich3. Lair of progress A long-term nightmare… The market is whipping like a hellish surf. People turn into goods, sold under the hammer like things. Svetobor The kagan was still considered the supreme and absolute ruler of the kaganate. He was still chosen, and the Arab traveler
From the book Book 1. New Chronology of Russia [Russian Chronicles. "Mongol-Tatar" conquest. Kulikovo battle. Ivan the Terrible. Razin. Pugachev. Defeat of Tobolsk and author2.26. Brasheva = Borovitskaya road on Kulikovo field and the old Borovskaya road to the center of Moscow
From the book Self-propelled guns of Stalin. History of the Soviet self-propelled guns, 1919-1945 author Svirin Mikhail NikolaevichChapter X. TO THE LAIR OF THE BEAST! "All these years we swore that we would get to the fascist lair. And now it happened! It was really a lair. The bunker could not be called housing." M.E. Katukov. "On the edge of the main blow" 10.1. Amendments to the statesLast year of the war
From the book My Secret War: Memoirs of a Soviet Intelligence Officer [with illustrations] by Philby KimChapter X The Lion's Den I never finished the second half of Operation Spyglass. In the summer of 1949 I received a telegram from London which diverted my attention to other matters. I was offered the post of SIS representative in the United States of America, where I had to
From the book Fuhrer as a commander author Degtev Dmitry Mikhailovich"Wolf's Lair" Back in the fall of 1940, the Fuhrer sent adjutants Schmundt and Engel to the East with Todt, so that they looked after a place for a new main apartment. Having traveled around the General Government and East Prussia, the “lodgers” suggested that Hitler use the area
From the book Moscow in the light of the New Chronology author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich1.17. The Sosna River and the Brasheva Road (Borovitsa) on the Kulikovo Field - the Moscow Sosenka River and the Old Borovskaya Road in Moscow 137–194, Dmitry Donskoy and
From the book People, Gods, Beasts author Ossendovsky Anthony FerdinandDen of death Our camels slowly but steadily dragged north. Making twenty-five to thirty miles a day, we finally arrived at a small monastery, located somewhat to the left of the main road. Its massive, square-shaped buildings were surrounded by a tall
From the book My Secret War by Philby KimChapter X. Lion's Den. I never finished the second half of Operation Spyglass. In the summer of 1949 I received a telegram from London which diverted my attention to other matters. I was offered the post of SIS representative in the United States of America, where I had to
From the book Operation Oak. Finest hour Otto Skorzeny the author Annusek GregChapter 1. In the "wolf's lair" Mussolini must be saved, and very quickly, otherwise they will give him to the enemy. Hitler's speech at the "Wolf's Lair" on July 26, 1943
From the book Traditions of the Russian people author Kuznetsov I. N.Lair of the Serpent This place, which is well known to all the inhabitants of the Tatar land, has long been a snake's nest. Different snakes lived here, in the nest, and among them was one snake, huge and terrible, with two heads: one head of a snake, the other of an ox. With one head he devoured
From the book Mysterious Places of Russia author Shnurovozova Tatyana Vladimirovna From the book Travel notes (On the way from the Tambov province to Siberia) author Pechersky AndreyIII. Entrance to the Perm province. - Okhansk and Kama. - Road to Perm. - Beginning of Perm. - Pier. - Monastery and monuments. - Ermakov's weapon. - The road to the mouth of Chusovaya. - Chusovaya. - Polazna ... Finally, we left the land of the Votyaks: here is a stone pillar with a bear and a bow, - we are in
From the book The Last Hour of the Knights by Shiono NanamiCHAPTER THREE LAIR OF THE CHRISTIAN VIPERS Ancient Rhodes The island of Rhodes rests in the southeast of the Aegean and resembles a rugby ball spun from the southwest to the northeast; it is so close to Asia Minor that it seems that at any moment it can be
From the book Spies in Paris author Massar Major EmilIX: Bandit Lair Gang "Cafe Amodru". - Espionage and drugs. – Redhead School. This is the story of an amazing gang of traitors, with disguise, desertion, drug trafficking, suicide for love, revelations, adultery, female espionage, drama
From the book Joan of Arc, Samson and Russian History author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich1.2. The Sosna and Brasheva rivers = Borovitskaya road to Kulikovo field - this is the Sosenka river on the outskirts of Moscow and the old Borovskaya road to the center of Moscow 137–194, it is reported that Dmitry
On February 1, 2008, at the exit from the Gulf of Aden, the tugboat Switzer Korsakov, owned by a Danish company, was hijacked. The international crew of the vessel also included four citizens of Russia - all of them were captured by the bandits. After this abduction, representatives of the Russian Navy declared their readiness to start an armed struggle against pirates. However, the owners of the tug preferred to settle the matter quietly and a month and a half later they paid a ransom of 700 thousand dollars for the release of the vessel. However, after this story, a Russian patrol ship"Intrepid".
At the end of the 2000s, Somali pirates kept the entire eastern part of the Indian Ocean at bay. The strongest military powers could not cope with them, documentaries and feature films were made about them, even the creators of the comedy animated series South Park dedicated one of the episodes to them. And there was something to discuss - in 2008 alone, ordinary Somali guys on fishing boats captured 42 ships, earning about $ 80 million on ransoms. Today, however, nothing is heard of sea robbers. Where do they go?
born of the revolution
The history of sea robbers of the 21st century goes back to the 90s. In Somalia, the dictatorship of the pro-Soviet leader was overthrown in 1991 Mohammed Siad Barre. He turned the country into a police state with a communist twist. The streets of Somali cities were adorned with portraits of Barre and Lenin, dissatisfied were dealt with quickly and without unnecessary sentimentality. The country's economy was based on a network of cooperatives. Barre paid special attention to fishing. Fishing places off the coast of the country were guarded by the Somali Navy - the dictator did not stand on ceremony with foreigners in this matter.
However, in 1990, an uprising began against the dictator. Barre fled the country, and a struggle for power began between the rebels. In a matter of weeks, the state broke up into many small parts, control over which was established by various warlords, tribes and criminal groups, which often terrorized the population. At the same time, against the backdrop of a civil war and an unprecedented drought, a famine broke out in the country, from which more than 300 thousand people died. And their counterparts from other countries began to invade the traditional fishing grounds of Somali fishermen. In order to survive, the inhabitants of the coastal fishing villages began to unite in self-defense units. At that moment, their attention was drawn to the oil tankers scurrying back and forth along the Strait of Aden, which delivered oil from the Middle East to Europe.
“Very quickly, impoverished Somali fishermen found out that it didn’t take much effort to capture huge tankers that carry millions of dollars worth of cargo,” says military analyst of the Center for Military-Political Journalism Boris Rozhin. Technical equipment Somali pirates was minimal. “These are a few Kalashnikov assault rifles, which are not difficult to get in a civil war-torn country, a fishing motorboat that can accelerate to 25 knots (46 km / h) and a walkie-talkie. Later, GPS-navigators appeared. It was possible to track the target by giving a bribe to an official in the Kenyan port. To force the ship to slow down, the pirates opened warning fire, then looked for a lower board, threw up a ladder and climbed onto the deck. They captured the captain's bridge and took the ship to their harbor.
Oil, tanks and other loot
However, pirate attacks rarely ended in bloodshed. Between 2008 and 2012, when 170 ships were hijacked, 25 people died due to attacks. Another 37 died in captivity.
One of the most famous trophies of pirates is the Greek tanker Irene SL, captured in 2011, which was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil ($200 million at the then prices). In 2008, pirates seized the Ukrainian transport Faina, which was carrying T-72 tanks for the Kenyan army. Vessel captain Vladimir Korobkov died in captivity from a heart attack. For the rest of the crew and for the cargo itself, the owner of the ship paid a ransom of $3.2 million. The money was dropped onto the deck of the hijacked ship from a helicopter.
Click to enlarge. Infographics: RIA Novosti / Stanislav Syretskikh
Not all attempts to capture the ship ended successfully. So, in 2003, the Russian tanker Monneron successfully broke away from pursuit, which was even fired from a grenade launcher. In 2006, pirates fired on a US Navy ship. Why they did this is not clear - perhaps they were just swaggering under the influence of a local drug - khat leaves. The Americans sank the pirate boats with return fire. And in 2008, not far from the Seychelles, pirates hijacked a French luxury ocean yacht with 32 passengers on board. To rescue them, a special forces detachment was urgently called from Paris, which rescued all the hostages from captivity. Who exactly these influential captives were remains unclear.
Meanwhile, prosperity began to flourish on the Somali coast against the backdrop of pirate raids. Coastal cities, where pirates spent their loot, grew, and the entertainment industry expanded. Cooks, lawyers, and pimps flocked to coastal ports, and bars and restaurants opened. Retired pirates organized consulting firms, offering the services of negotiators. Numerous financial offices helped to withdraw funds abroad, to the UAE, Kenya and Djibouti. At the same time, the drug trade grew.
Somali piracy peaked in 2010. According to a Reuters investigation, they made $240 million that year, causing about $7 billion in damage. The whole world was talking about pirates. Consulting company Geopolicity Inc predicted that by 2015 pirates would cause damage of about $15 billion.
© Bartolomeo of Portugal (date of birth unknown, died 1669). Engraving from 1678
© Henry Morgan (1635-1688), nicknamed "The Cruel". Vintage engraving
© Thomas Tew talks with New York Governor Fletcher. Painting by Howard Pyle from 1894
© William Kidd (1645–1701), 1911 painting by Howard Pyle
© Henry Avery (1659–1699) with the Imagination in the background. 18th century engraving
© Samuel Bellamy (1689-1717), also known as "Black Sam Bellamy". 18th century engraving
© Steed Bonnet (1688-1718). Painting by Arthur Ignatius Keller, 1902
© Edward Teach (1680-1718), nicknamed "Blackbeard" (real name - Edward Drummond). A 1920 painting by Jean Léon Gérôme Ferris showing the fight between Edward Teach and Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard
© Bart Roberts (1682–1722), vintage engraving
© Mary Read, Jack Rackham and Ann Bonnie. Vintage engravings
Heavy machine guns against easy money hunters
The world community began to actively solve the problem in 2008. By this time, the UN had adopted five resolutions on Somali pirates. To combat them, ships of the navies of all countries of the UN Security Council have concentrated in the Gulf of Aden. Only NATO carried out three military operations off the coast of Somalia - launched missile attacks on bases, patrolled the bay. But there was no talk of an easy victory.
“It was impossible to intercept all the small pirate boats. To destroy the pirates, it was necessary to destroy their bases. And the largest pirate lairs were located in major Somali ports under the control of Somali military groups. An attack on the ports would mean a declaration of war on these factions. After the failure of the military operation in Somalia in 1993 and protracted campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States was not ready for such a scenario,” says Rozhin.
However, from May 2012 to March 2017, Somali pirates did not capture a single ship. Several factors contributed to this.
First, companies that were engaged in cargo transportation in the Strait of Aden began to hire security firms to protect cargo. The mercenaries mounted heavy machine guns on ships in the strait and repulsed the pirates. “The cost of the services of a team of 3-4 security guards is about $35,000, which is an order of magnitude less than the possible ransom amount,” Rozhin notes. Pirates have never been able to capture a ship with guards.
Secondly, the emirate of Abu Dhabi took up the fight against piracy, which got rich on oil supplies to Europe. The emirate's government hired the founder of the private military company Blackwater to solve the problem Erica Prince. In 2010, he created a special detachment to fight pirates with $50 million allocated to him. The detachment included almost 1,000 people who had helicopters, light aircraft and patrol boats. In two years, Prince's detachment destroyed about 300 pirates and many of their lairs on the coast of Somalia.
At the same time, the UN managed to convince the government of Puntland, one of the quasi-states on the territory of Somalia, where many pirate bases were located, of the need to start fighting them. To compensate for the loss of income from the pirate business, Puntland was given funds for the development of the economy.
The remaining pirates moved to the quasi-state of Galmudug, neighboring Puntland. However, even there they were soon finished. Part of the territory of Galmudug was taken under control by the Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabaab, which began an energetic fight against piracy. In the eyes of Islamists, sea robbers were blasphemers and drunkards. In 2011, the Kenyan army entered Galmudug to fight Al-Sharab, which at the same time took up the destruction of pirate nests. With such pressure from all sides, the pirates had virtually no chance of survival.
Now the area of the Gulf of Aden is extremely militarized. There are bases in Somalia and Djibouti from seven countries, including the United States, China and France, which closely monitor the region. Djibouti and Somali quasi-states receive good money for having military bases on their territory (from 30 to 100 million dollars each). And the local population has the opportunity to earn money for the military, who are stationed there. This allows the local economy to slowly develop. The Somali fishery is also gradually reviving. However, sporadic attacks in the Bay Area continue to occur. In March 2017, pirates seized the Comorian tanker Aris 13. “The civil war in Somalia is still not over, the threat of destabilization of the region remains. Therefore, pirates can raise their heads at any moment,” Rozhin said.
