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Off Somalia's Shores and On, Piracy Is the New Law

Though international forces are mobilizing, little stands in way of buccaneers on land

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 31, 2008 1:30 PM CDT

(Newser) – In lawless, destitute Somalia, there’s only one industry booming: piracy. Its shipping lanes have become the world’s most treacherous, with attacks tripling the past 3 years. And though Somali officials decry the attacks, the industry is hardly underground. The New York and Los Angeles Times visited Somalia’s coastal villages, finding an upside-down social structure, with rich, strutting pirates atop the food chain.

In most coastal villages, pirates are the only ones with money—and they spend it lavishly, splurging on prostitutes, fancy cars, even businesses. “Women here don’t talk to you if you’re not a pirate,” said one 21-year-old. Nor do the buccaneers fear international heat after the ongoing Ukrainian freighter drama. “We will consider NATO as the enemy,” said one pirate.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, suspected pirates flee the scene near the Gem of Kilakari, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008, in the Gulf of Aden, near Somalia.
In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, suspected pirates flee the scene near the Gem of Kilakari, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008, in the Gulf of Aden, near Somalia.   (AP Phot)
With profits from ransomed ships expected to hit $50 million this year, Somali pirates are getting bolder, and can afford better technology.
With profits from ransomed ships expected to hit $50 million this year, Somali pirates are getting bolder, and can afford better technology.   (AP Photo)
Somali pirates in small boats are seen alongside the hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship Faina in this Sept. 28, 2008, photo taken by the US Navy.
Somali pirates in small boats are seen alongside the hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship Faina in this Sept. 28, 2008, photo taken by the US Navy.   (AP Photo)
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All you need is three guys and a little boat, and the next day you’re millionaires. - Abdullahi Omar Qawden, former captain in Somalia's defunct Navy

Women here don't talk to you if you are not a pirate. I'm fed up with these guys. - Suleiman Farey, recent high-school graduate in Hobyo, Somalia

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Navies must target pirate 'mother ships'
Reuters

Pirates hold whip hand in freighter stand off
San Francisco Chronicle

Somali PM calls for tougher anti-piracy action
AFP

 
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