Piracy has ripple effects
Published 3:41 pm Thursday, August 5, 2010
Earlier this week, the crew of a Norwegian tanker ship used high pressure water hoses to battle a band of pirates off the coast of Africa — successfully keeping the marauders from climbing aboard and taking over the ship.
Ultimately, the intrepid crew held off their attackers long enough for a relief helicopter to arrive and chase the scoundrels back to their skiffs. There was no film crew present and a director never yelled “cut” because this high intensity drama wasn’t a scene from the latest Hollywood action blockbuster — these pirates were real and the frightened crew members were fighting for their cargo, and their lives.
Thanks to books and movies, many of us have an idealized image of pirates as a somewhat loveable band of social misfits who choose a romantic swashbuckling life of adventure on the high seas. The pirates of our imagination come complete with a squawking parrot, a jaunty eye patch, peg leg and nearly empty bottle of rum. However, to those who navigate the challenging waters of the world for commerce, contemporary pirates aren’t charming characters at all — they’re simply street thugs and gang members who have taken their criminal behavior offshore.
We’d like to believe that modern technology could thwart today’s pirates, but it turns out that technology actually contributes to an ever-escalating problem — as cargo ships can now travel with smaller (and therefore more vulnerable) crews while the bad guys take advantage of faster maneuverability and the use of electronic devices to track their prey.
Some of the most brazen pirates prowl the waters along the coast of East Africa, Southeast Asia, South America and the Caribbean, often armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. Their attacks are becoming more frequent and dangerous as naval fleets from around the world are increasingly confronted with pirates who hijack ships to capture hostages or freight for ransom.
Why should we care if gangsters are causing trouble on the high seas? The safety of our military, for one. Crews aboard Navy warships have had multiple encounters with sea bandits in the past couple of years, including the high-profile rescue of an American cargo ship captain from Somali pirates.
Another reason is as close as your pocketbook — because, like shoplifting, we’ll ultimately end up paying extra for goods to offset the cost of property loss and ransom paid to recover the plundered ships and crew.
Living near the water as we do, where planes and boats were easily stolen for a time, with the threat of terrorism lurking, the reality of pirates is really not hard to fathom.
