Two Million Somalis Survive on Food Aid Shipped Past Pirates

More than two million Somalis would go hungry without these protective escorts, said the World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian aid agency, from its headquarters in Rome.

The pirate ship blown up by the INS Tabar was similar in description to the "Mother Vessel" mentioned in various piracy bulletins, according to a statement today by the Ministry of Defence of India, which is not a NATO nation.

The attack on the INS Tabar came the same day pirates hijacked a Thai boat and an Iranian bulk cargo carrier. Also on Tuesday, Somali pirates seized a Hong Kong registered merchant vessel with 25 crewmembers on board. The vessel, carrying 35,000 tonnes of wheat, was headed for the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas from Hong Kong.

The presence of warships from at least nine countries, including the United States, in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden has, so far, done little to stop the rising number of pirate attacks.

The area where ships are at risk off the coast of Somalia and Kenya as well as the Gulf of Aden equals more than 1.1 million square miles - roughly the size of the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined.

Pirates are currently holding 14 vessels with 268 crew members aboard, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre. More than 500 crew members have been taken hostage so far this year.

On Saturday, pirates hijacked their largest target - the 330-metre long super tanker Sirius Star. The ship is loaded with some two million barrels of oil worth at least US$100 million bound from Saudi Arabia for the United States. The 319,430 ton Sirius Star was attacked some 450 nautical miles southeast of Mogadishu. Still onboard are the ship's 25 crewmembers.

International Maritime Bureau Director Pottengal Mukundan said from London, "Although this is just the latest of a large spike in attacks off the east coast of Africa, this incident is significant on two counts. Firstly, this is the largest vessel to have been hijacked. Secondly, the distance from the shore would suggest a highly organized operation - this is not mere opportunism."

An armed crewmember aboard a NATO escort vessel watches over a food aid ship. (Photo courtesy NATO)

Three ships from NATO's Standing Maritime Group were deployed to the region on October 24 at the request of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to provide escort protection for ships of the World Food Programme as they transit the dangerous waters.

Since the naval escort system began in November 2007, no pirate attacks have been launched against ships loaded with World Food Programme food despite 2008 being the worst year ever for piracy off Somalia.

There have been more than 80 attacks on shipping so far this year, including 32 hijackings, compared with 31 attacks in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

The International Maritime Bureau says piracy in the region is out of control. The IMB, a section of the International Chamber of Commerce, is calling on the United Nations to take a role to halt the menace.

Through November, the NATO and Dutch naval vessels are continuing their escort missions to Mogadishu and Merka. With three vessels available for escorts, WFP will have a succession of ships delivering food assistance to Somalia, which requires 40,000 metric tons of WFP food every month.

Somalia is in the grip of a deepening humanitarian crisis, brought on by conflict, successive failed or poor harvests, and hyperinflation.

Over the past year, the World Food Programme has supplied food aid with the help of escort vessels from several countries, says WFP Somalia Country Director Peter Goossens.

"Since November we’ve shipped more than 137,000 tons of food into Somalia under escort – food that is saving lives. Without the support of France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Canada, the situation in Somalia would be even worse right now," said Goossens.

Hungry women and children in the southern Somali village of Geedbuureed. (Photo by Peter Smeardon courtesy WFP)

The anti-piracy fight in these waters is a continuous battle, according to NATO, but the NATO presence is often enough to deter pirate attacks.

On Monday, for instance, the flagship of NATO's Standing Maritime Group 2 and of the anti-piracy Operation Allied Provider, prevented a likely attack against the Panama flagged merchant vessel Kirti by two skiffs that were maneuvering in a high-speed piracy attack pattern.

While patrolling the Gulf of Aden, the flagship - the Italian Navy destroyer Luigi Durand de la Penne - received a distress call from the merchant vessel which was 20 miles away, steaming towards Suez.

Immediately, the NATO ship's helicopter was scrambled and sent over the merchant vessel. When the suspected pirates saw the helicopter, the skiffs changed course and the Kirti continued her trip.

NATO's mission in the area will end when responsibility is assumed by a European Union Naval Force, which is expected to deploy in December.

European Union foreign ministers agreed on November 10 to dispatch five to seven frigates and support aircraft to the Horn of Africa in December. The force is charged with protecting merchant ships and World Food Programme vessels bringing food to Somalia.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet Combined Maritime Forces also has a presence in the region, which Commander Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said Monday is "helping deter and disrupt criminal attacks off the Somali coast." But, he said, "the situation with the Sirius Star clearly indicates the pirates' ability to adapt their tactics and methods of attack."

Out of 15 recent pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden, at least 10 involved ships operating outside the International Maritime Organization's recommended traffic corridor or failing to employ recommended self protection measures, making them more vulnerable to a successful attack, Gortney said.

"The sea is the lifeblood of our global economy and it is appropriate the Coalition, NATO and other international partners work together to address this problem," said Royal Navy Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy commander, Combined Maritime Forces.

"While a military force cannot solve the problem, the solution lies ashore, we welcome the assistance of additional forces," said Lowe. "The long-term solution to piracy requires an international and interagency response."

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