Dang, I had forgotten all about these guys. Remember back in 2009, when they even established a 24-hour pirate stock exchange? Well, the times of thieving, hijacking, kidnapping, and murdering are over for Somalia's pirates. Surely, I'm not the only one who finds it ironic that pirates who risked life and limb to hijack huge ships are now hiding in dank rooms from mere creditors. Let me pull out the world's tiniest violin. From the Associated Press: "While
experts say it's too early to declare victory, the numbers are
startling: In 2010, pirates seized 47 vessels. This year they've taken
five. For a look at the
reality behind those numbers, an Associated Press team from the capital,
Mogadishu, traveled to the pirate havens of Galkayo
and Hobyo, a coastal town considered too dangerous for Western
reporters since the kidnappers have turned to land-based abductions over
the last year. There they found pirates who once owned vast villas living in darkened, unfurnished rooms, hiding from their creditors."
No more $1,000-a-night prostitutes, free stimulants for the crew, and other stuff: 'We have witnessed a significant drop in attacks in recent months. The stats speak for themselves,' said Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Sherriff, a spokeswoman for the European Union Naval Force. Sherriff
attributes the plunge in hijackings mostly to international military
efforts — European, American, Chinese, Indian, Russian — that have
improved over time. In May, after receiving an expanded mandate, the EU
Naval Force destroyed pirate weapons, equipment and fuel on land.
Japanese aircraft fly over the shoreline to relay pirate activity to
nearby warships. Merchant
ships have also increased their communications with patrolling military
forces after pirate sightings, Sherriff said. Ships have bolstered
their own defenses with armed guards, barbed wire, water cannons and
safe rooms. No vessel with
armed guards has ever been hijacked, noted Cyrus Moody of the
International Maritime Bureau. A June report from the U.N. Monitoring
Group on Somalia and Eritrea said armed guards have forced pirates to 'abort attacks earlier and at greater ranges from targeted vessels.'"
It's Hard Out Here For A Pirate
