Modern Piracy in the 21st Century ... 1 ... The days of old when Pirates were bold has ... Never Been Eliminated !!! ... As it turns out, Piracy started a very long time ago. ... 2 ... Take a guess at when it started and let me know how close you came ... 3 ... In fact, Piracy began in the 14th Century BC ... This period of time started in 1301 ... and ... lasted until 1400 ... 4 ... Today, this time period is known as ... The Middle Ages ... 5 ... Today, we are living in the 21st Century, and Piracy Still Occurs ... It is now known as Modern Privacy ... 6 ... Areas of Pirate Activity ... Modern Piracy mostly occurs in the Caribbean, Falcon Lake, the Gulf of Guinea, the Indian Ocean, the Strait of Malacca, and the Sulu and Celebes Seas ... 7 ... Pirates in the Caribbean ... In part, issues pertaining to Piracy are due to Competition among nearby nations such as Bolivia, Venezuela, and Somalia ... 8 ... In 2016, Native fishermen began migrating to the more lucrative practice of engaging in Piracy ... This turn to Piracy, occurred in several Nations in the region, leading to multiple attacks theft and killings becoming the norm ... 9 ... by 2018, several poor nations were becoming increasingly concerned about Modern Piracy as newly converted fishermen became Pirates who were lurking throughout the Caribbean sea ... 10 ... Falcon Lake ... Piracy on Falcon Lake leads to crime at the border between the United States and Mexico ... Falcon lake is actually a 60 mile long reservoir co-Built by The United States and Mexico ... It was constructed in 1945. The Lake is well known to drug route ... 11 ... Turf wars ... A turf war between rival drug cartels for control of the lake began in March of 2010 ... This has led to a series of armed robberies and shooting incidents among competitive ... Modern Pirates ... Most of the attacks have been credited to cartels doing business on the Mexican side of the reservoir, and ... In Sight of Texas ... These fleets utilize small boats that are designed to go fast so their crews can seize assets that enable drug smuggling, kidnaping and theft ... 12 ... While these event have been referred to colloquially as piracy, they are not !!! This is because ... all these events occurred on the waters of Falcon Lake, and because these are considered to be either US or Mexican territorial waters. Therefore they are not Piracy under the law of the sea. ...13 ... The Gulf of Guinea ...The Gulf of guinea is part of the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean off of the western African coast. It extends westward from Cap Lopez near the equator, to Cape Palmas. It’s major tributaries include the Volta and Niger rivers ...14 ... Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea ... Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has evolved over the first decade of this century. Today, smaller ships shuttling employees and materials belonging to the oil companies have become at risk do to the presence of Pirates ... 15... Nigeria ... Over time, pirates have become increasingly aggressive and better armed. ...16 ... In 2014 pirate attacks in West Africa mainly occurred in territorial waters, terminals, an in harbors rather than on the high seas ...17 ... International Forces ... Pirates in these regions operate as parts of heavily armed and sophisticated criminal enterprises. They use mother ships to launch their attacks. Overall the Pirates are seeking to steel oil ... 18 ... As such they do not attach much importance to holding crew members and non-oil cargo or vessels for ransom ...19 ... Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea ... these groups are especially noted for their violent behavior which frequently involves kidnapping, torture, and the Shooting of crews ... 20 ... These increasingly violent methods are created by Modern Pirates who these as ... 21 ... A Common Business Practice ... adopted by Modern Pirates who use violence and intimidation to a significant degree ... 22 ... By 2010, 45 and by 2012 120 incidents were reported to the ... 23 ... UN International Maritime Organization ... However, many events go unreported ... 24 ... Modern Acts of Piracy ... Piracy acts interfere with the legitimate trading interests of the affected countries that include Benin, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, and the The Democratic Republic of Congo ... 25 ... As an example, trade in Benin’s major port ...‘The Port of Cotonou’ ... was reported in 2012 to have dropped by 70 percent. This decline was due to the cost of Piracy in the Gulph of Guinea. The drop was caused by stolen goods, lax security, and the cost of pirate attacks in the Gulph of Guinea ... 26 ...These attacks maintained a steady level of around 100 attempted hijackings in the one year ... Testimony to the United States House of Representatives and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight Washington, 14 May 2009 Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member MR. Rohrabacher, and Members of the Committee. Piracy continues unabated off the Horn of Africa - there have been 80 reported attacks already this year Pirates are moving up the value added ladder. A few years ago they attacked fishing trawlers just off the coast. Now they take on oil tankers and container ships far out at sea. Ransom money is buying property, luxury goods, and power. Profits are also being used to buy satellite phones, GPSs, more powerful weapons and faster boats, or to bribe officials and collaborators. In a country wracked by poverty and instability, the profits of piracy are spreading corruption, perverting local economies, and empowering warlords and criminal groups. This poses a major threat to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, the stability of the region, and the commercial and security interests of UN Member States. What can be done to stop piracy off the Horn of ... 27 ... Africa First, Prevention is crucial. Some may say that the problem is as big as Somalia itself ... 28 ... until there is law and order on land, there will be anarchy off the coast. This is True, ... Although, a priority in restoring order in Somalia should be to dismantle the pirates' coastal bases and their support networks, ... 29 ... This could be in in exchange for the ... 30 ... development of aid packages that include training and assets that improve local administration, strengthen integrity, create job alternatives to piracy and smuggling, and restore much needed social services and infrastructure. ... 31 ... Funds pledged at the recent donors conference for Somalia in Brussels are a good start. ... In dispersing these funds, particular attention should be paid to parts of the country where basic institutions are already in place, like Puntland and Somaliland .Second, strengthening maritime security is essential to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Horn of Africa ... 32 ... An unprecedented armada from the United States, Russia, China, the EU, NATO, and a number of other countries is now patrolling some of the world's most strategically significant waterways. Greater engagement from regulation should be a medium term goal. ... 33 ... A few years ago, piracy posed a major threat to the Malacca Straits. By working together several countries such have cut the number of attacks by more than half since 2004 ... 34 ... As more countries cooperate with Law enforcement... 35 ... Several United Nations instruments have been addressing the problem of piracy ... 36 ... Experts and ship captains have been navigating their way through these Conventions to figure out what to do with piracy suspects ... 37 ... Ideally, suspects should be tried in the country where they came from, and Flag States could prosecute their pirates ... 38 ... unfortunately, in many cases, ships in the region fly flags of convenience or false flags ... Suspects and evidence would have to be flown long distances, which could be logistically challenging , but it does occur at times ... 39 ... Another option is to have a bilateral agreements with other countries in the region, as the United States and the European Union have with instituted for example. Such agreements should define procedures for the detention, transfer and prosecution of captured ... 40 ... Captured Pirate Suspects ... The US, the UK, and the Netherlands have used ship riders and law enforcement detachments to great effect against drug smugglers in the Caribbean. In addition, new methods of enforcement are currently being explored by the Working Group on Legal Issues ... 41 ... In addition ... Part of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia is involved in the above mentioned enforcement efforts. Currently there are more than 60 piracy suspects awaiting trial in Kenyan jails and more than two dozen in the Seychelles. This number will no doubt continue to grow. The European trial and related treatment of piracy suspects includes training prosecutors, locating efforts to support the producing witnesses, an facilitating international legal cooperation. For example, collecting evidence, funding defense lawyers for pirates, and bringing prison conditions up to international standards. This will ensure that pirates are tried fairly and justly, while sending a strong signal to others that they cannot operate with impunity. It will also strengthen capacity to fight other types of organized crime and terrorism ... At the moment, the main focus is in Kenya, but the intend is to expand the program to other countries in the region, and to share information and best practices ... You can learn more from Captain Steve Stolze by visiting ... BoatOpsAndSaSafety.com ... While there explore the Website as you Navigate through Captain Storm A long’s Tall Tales Blog
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