Looters at sea have become major blockers for cargo vessels traversing the world oceans. Every year, many men are lost and material worth thousands of dollars perishes. They attack with guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, making the blue traffic quite vulnerable, when not adequately prepared. Even ships carrying relief material to the war or strife-torn parts of the world are pillaged without any remorse. And where the waters border a nation without a stable naval force, the pirates are simply uncontrollable. They plunder and plunder without restraint!
The year that just passed witnessed a 10 percent boost in such pirate attacks, according to an international maritime watchdog. In fact, this rise reversed a downtrend witnessed over the last three years. The director of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Pottengal Mukundan, has pointed fingers directly at Nigeria and Somalia for such an increase.
The USA Today reports,
Attacks in Nigeria surged to 42 from 12 cases while in Somalia it was a threefold increase to 31 cases, from 10 in 2006. The IMB report indicated that the pirates were better armed and more violent in 2007, with 18 vessels hijacked worldwide, 292 crewmembers taken hostage, five killed and three still missing.
Nigeria has been witnessing a lot of political problems. The general elections 2007 in the West African nation were condemned internationally, while ethnic hostility flared hard leading to militancy. These rebels are suspected to be masterminding attacks on vessels near Lagos, the former capital. Somalia, on the other hand, has witnessed high tensions due to civil fights.
The horn nation pierces the Indian Ocean leaning over an 1800-kilometer long coastline, which is the longest for any African nation. The transitional government in the country has been ‘thoroughly incompetent‘, failing to move even a small stone. Jolted by Islamic insurgency, the country has succumbed to a complete internal breakdown. The absence of a naval force, on top of all this, has helped pirates grow stronger along its shores. Even the relief material to the millions of refugees living in deep-dark Somali camps, doesn’t reach in time due to ocean loots.
The world is blaming the two nations for increases in piracy, and the IMB too, is constantly urging ships to stay far away from these shores. While Nigeria, if determined, can take steps to weed out these rebels, the Somali shores will need international control.
Source: USAToday
