View source for Piracy off the coast of Somalia

{{Short description|Hijacking of ships by Somali pirates}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Piracy off the coast of Somalia
| partof            = the [[Somali Civil War]] and [[piracy around the Horn of Africa]]
| date              = 2000–present
| place             = [[Gulf of Aden]], [[Guardafui Channel]], [[Bab-el-Mandeb]], [[Arabian Sea]], [[Indian Ocean]]
| result            = Inconclusive
*Suppression of pirate activities
*Continued presence of pirates<ref>
{{Cite web 
|date=2024-06-07 
|title=The Roots of Somalia's Slow Piracy Resurgence  |url=https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/somalia/roots-somalias-slow-piracy-resurgence 
|access-date=2024-08-13 
|website=International Crisis Group
|language=en}}
</ref>
| combatant1        = {{Flag|Somalia}}<br/>
{{Collapsible list|title=Allies|
{{Plain list|
* {{Flagicon|Kenya}} [[Kenya]]
* {{Flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]]
* {{Flagicon|United States}} [[United States]]
* {{Flagicon|France}} [[France]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Japan]]
* {{Flagicon|Russia}} [[Russia]]
* {{Flagicon|India}} [[India]]
* {{Flagicon|Bangladesh}} [[Bangladesh]]
* {{Flagicon|Indonesia}} [[Indonesia]]
* {{Flagicon|Malaysia}} [[Malaysia]]
* {{Flagicon|Italy}} [[Italy]]
* {{Flagicon|Iran}} [[Iran]]
* {{Flagicon|Germany}} [[Germany]]
* {{Flagicon|Spain}} [[Spain]]
* {{Flagicon|United Arab Emirates}} [[United Arab Emirates]]
* {{Flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Netherlands]]
* {{Flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Pakistan]]
* {{Flagicon|Belgium}} [[Belgium]]
* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Australia]]
* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[New Zealand]]
* {{Flagicon|Denmark}} [[Denmark]]
* {{Flagicon|Sweden}} [[Sweden]]
* {{Flagicon|Finland}} [[Finland]]
* {{Flagicon|Norway}} [[Norway]]
* {{Flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]]
* {{Flagicon|China}} [[China]]
* {{Flagicon|Taiwan}} [[Taiwan]]
* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} [[South Africa]]
* {{Flagicon|Montenegro}} [[Montenegro]]
* {{Flagicon|Croatia}} [[Croatia]]
* {{Flagicon|North Korea}} [[North Korea]]
* {{Flagicon|Greece}} [[Greece]]
* {{Flagicon|Turkey}} [[Turkey]]
* {{Flagicon|Portugal}} [[Portugal]]
*{{Flagicon|South Korea}} [[South Korea]]}}
}}
| combatant2        = Somali pirates<br/>
{{Collapsible list|title=Allies|
* Somali marines{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
* National Volunteer Coast Guard (NVCG){{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
* Marka group{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
* Puntland group{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}}}
Yemeni pirates<ref>{{cite news |title= Eritrea 'arming' Somali militia |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6918582.stm |publisher=BBC News | date=27 July 2007 |access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/05/200951603447360512.html |title=UN probes Eritrea arms in Somalia – Africa |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] English |date=16 May 2009 |access-date=20 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jeffrey |last=Gettleman |date=27 July 2007 |title=A U.N. Report on Somalia Accuses Eritrea of Adding to the Chaos |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/world/africa/27somalia.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref>
}}
{{Campaignbox Piracy in Somalia}}

'''Piracy off the coast of Somalia''' occurs in the [[Gulf of Aden]], [[Guardafui Channel]], and [[Somali Sea]], in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding places and has a long troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. It was initially a threat to international fishing vessels during the early 2000s, only to rapidly escalate and expand to [[Freight_transport#Ship|international shipping]] during the [[War in Somalia (2006–2009)]].

Somali waters have high fisheries production potential, but the sustainability of those fisheries is compromised by the presence of foreign fishing vessels, many of them fishing illegally. The Somali domestic fishing sector is small and poorly developed, whereas foreign vessels have fished in Somali waters for at least seven decades. Some foreign vessels and their crew have been viewed by Somali artisanal fishers as a threat to their traditional livelihoods. Many foreign vessels directly compete for fish, reducing fish populations and destroying marine habitat through bottom trawling.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.3389/fmars.2019.00704 | doi-access=free | title=Foreign Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in Somali Waters Perpetuates Conflict | year=2019 | last1=Glaser | first1=Sarah M. | last2=Roberts | first2=Paige M. | last3=Hurlburt | first3=Kaija J. | journal=Frontiers in Marine Science | volume=6 }}</ref> Foreign fishing has increased more than twenty-fold since 1981, and the most rapid increase occurred during the 1990s after the collapse of the Federal government under [[Siad Barre]] and the ensuing [[civil war]].

[[Somalia]] was designated as a [[failed state]] in 1992,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jamal |first1=Ahmad Rashid |title=Identifying Causes of State failure: The Case of Somalia |url=http://www.atlantic-community.org/documents/10180/280d1fa4-ccd0-43fa-af90-834e3b2bb9b3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522111347/http://www.atlantic-community.org/documents/10180/280d1fa4-ccd0-43fa-af90-834e3b2bb9b3 |archive-date=May 22, 2015 |access-date=22 May 2015 |publisher=Universität Konstanz Politik- und Verwaltungswissenschaften |df=mdy-all}}; {{cite news |last=Fergusson |first=James |date=13 January 2013 |title=Somalia: A failed state is back from the dead |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somalia-a-failed-state-is-back-from-the-dead-8449310.html?printService=print |url-status=live |access-date=18 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908201520/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somalia-a-failed-state-is-back-from-the-dead-8449310.html?printService=print |archive-date=September 8, 2017 |df=mdy-all}}; {{cite magazine |last=Anderson |first=Jon Lee |date=14 December 2009 |title=The Most Failed State |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/12/14/the-most-failed-state |url-status=live |magazine=The New Yorker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328192207/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/12/14/the-most-failed-state |archive-date=March 28, 2015 |access-date=18 May 2015 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> with extensive internal conflicts and major instability continuing until 2012, when the [[Federal Government of Somalia]] was established, which despite the intervention and support of foreign forces, could not fully establish its authority with threats from [[jihadist]] group [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|al-Shabaab]], so Somalia remained characterised as a [[fragile state]]. This disorder meant there was no longer effective government policing of Somali waters by the [[Somali Navy]], a weakness then exploited by often large foreign fishing boats, further threatening the livelihoods of local Somali [[fishing community|fishing communities]]. They in part responded by forming armed groups to deter what they perceived as invaders. These groups, using small boats such as skiffs and motorised boats, would sometimes hold vessels and crew for ransom. This practice grew into a lucrative trade, where large [[ransom]] payments were demanded and often paid. These groups were then considered to be pirates, especially after they began hijacking non-fishing commercial vessels. With the region badly affected by [[poverty]] and [[government corruption]], there was little political motivation at the local level to deal with the crisis. Large numbers of unemployed Somali youth began to see it as a means of making money. International organizations began to express concern over the new wave of piracy due to its high cost to global trade and the incentive to [[Profiteering (business)|profiteer]] by [[insurance companies]] and others. Some{{who|date=October 2023}} believe that elements within Somalia collaborated with the pirates both to strengthen their political influence as well as for financial gain.

After the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]], the [[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'' bombing]] in 2000 in [[Aden]], [[Yemen]], followed by the [[9/11 attacks]] in 2001 on the [[United States]], the [[US Navy]] decided to step up its activities around the [[Horn of Africa]] and the [[Red Sea]], by establishing in stages a multinational anti-piracy coalition known as [[Combined Task Force 150]] (CTF 150), with an Area of Responsibility (AOR) including some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, spanning over two million square miles, covering the [[Red Sea]], [[Gulf of Aden]], [[Indian Ocean]] and [[Gulf of Oman]] (but not inside the [[Persian Gulf]], which is the responsibility of CTF 152). This area is a vital artery of world trade from the [[Far East]] to [[Europe]] and the US, with thousands of shipping movements per year including the transportation of over 27 million barrels of oil. The participating nations have included [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Denmark]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Pakistan]], [[Spain]], [[Saudi Arabia]], the [[United Kingdom]] and the United States. Command of CTF 150 generally rotates between nations on a four monthly basis.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://combinedmaritimeforces.com/ctf-150-maritime-security/ | title=CTF 150: Maritime Security | date=17 September 2010 }}</ref>

By 2010, these patrols succeeded in steadily reducing the number of piracy incidents. In early 2017, a few incidents of piracy were reported as the navies of Asian and European nations began to more actively rescue hijacked ships, including the [[bulk carrier]] {{ship||OS35|bulk carrier|2}}.<ref name="marex">{{cite news |title=Chinese Navy Hands Pirates Over to Somali Authorities |url=https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/chinese-navy-hands-pirates-over-to-somali-authorities |access-date=22 October 2018 |work=The Maritime Executive |date=8 May 2017}}</ref>

In January 2023, the Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) was lifted by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) due to a significant absence of Somali pirate attacks in previous years, although Somali pirates still reportedly possess the ability and resources to conduct attacks in the [[Gulf of Aden]] region.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 August 2022 |title=Shipping industry to remove the Indian Ocean High Risk Area |url=https://www.ics-shipping.org/press-release/shipping-industry-to-remove-the-indian-ocean-high-risk-area/ |publisher=International Chamber of Shipping}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Piracy trends and high risk areas |url= https://www.gard.no/articles/piracy-trends-high-risk-areas/ |publisher=[[Assuranceforeningen Gard|Gard]] |access-date=2023-06-06}}</ref>

As a derivative effect of the escalating [[Israel-Hamas war]] at the end of 2023, new piracy-related activity rose on the Somalian coast.<ref name="ICC report">{{cite web |title=New report highlights continued threat of Somali piracy |url=https://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php/1348-new-report-highlights-continued-threat-of-somali-piracy |website=ICC Commercial Crime Services |publisher=ICC |access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="Nor">{{cite news |last1=Nor |first1=Mohammed Sheikh |title=Somali pirates resurface, disrupting maritime routes |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/342533/somali-pirates-resurface-disrupting-maritime-routes/ |access-date=28 May 2024|issue= |publisher=The African Report |date=April 2, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Sinha">{{cite web |last1=Sinha |first1=Aanchal |title=Operation Atalanta: New Horizons of Maritime Security Co-operation Between India and Other Nations |url=https://cenjows.in/operation-atalanta-new-horizons-of-maritime-security-co-operation-between-india-and-other-nations/ |website=CENTRE FOR JOINT WARFARE STUDIES |publisher=cenjows.com |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> According to the [[International Maritime Bureau]] (IMB) the first successful hijacking of a cargo vessel in the area after six years happened in December 2023.<ref name="Longley">{{cite news |last1=Longley |first1=Alex |title=With focus on Houthi attacks in Red Sea, threat from Somali pirates re-emerges |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2024/02/03/with-focus-on-houthi-attacks-in-red-sea-threat-from-somali-pirates-re-emerges/ |access-date=28 May 2024 |publisher=The Irish Times |date=3 February 2024}}</ref> On March 17 2024 Indian naval commandos led a rescue operation taking back control over the vessel about 500 km off the coast of Somalia bringing the 35 Somali pirates to prosecution in Mumbai.<ref name="Aljazeera">{{cite news |title=Captured Somali pirates arrive in India to face trial over ship hijacking |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/23/captured-somali-pirates-arrive-in-india-to-face-trial-over-ship-hijacking |access-date=28 May 2024 |publisher=Aljazeera.com |date=23 March 2024}}</ref> This resurface of piracy in the area is closely linked to the unaltered root causes<ref name="Karawita"/><ref name="Moss et al.">{{cite journal |last1=Moss |first1=Kelly |last2=Pigeon |first2=Masie |title=Stable Seas: Western Indian Ocean |journal=Stable Seas |date=March 2022 }}</ref><ref name="Nor" /> and the instability which the war creates in the area.<ref name="Oyewole">{{cite news |last1=Oyewole |first1=Samuel |title=Houthi militant attacks in the Red Sea raise fears of Somali piracy resurgence |url=https://theconversation.com/houthi-militant-attacks-in-the-red-sea-raise-fears-of-somali-piracy-resurgence-221665 |access-date=28 May 2024 |agency=The Conversation |date=January 31, 2024}}</ref>

== History ==
In the early 1980s, prior to the outbreak of the civil war in Somalia, the Somali Ministry of Fisheries and the Coastal Development Agency (CDA) launched a development program focusing on the establishment of agricultural and fishery cooperatives for artisanal fishermen. It also received significant foreign investment funds for various fishery development projects, as the Somali fishing industry was considered to have a lot of potential owing to its unexploited marine stocks. The government at this time permitted foreign fishing through official licensing or joint venture agreements, forming two such partnerships in the Iraqi-Somali Siadco and Italian-Somali Somital ventures.<ref name="Mfrsfihpfg">{{cite web|url=http://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/mfr4412/mfr44124.pdf|title=Marine Fisheries Review, ''Somali fishery industry has potential for growth'', December 1982, 44 (12)|access-date=27 March 2011|archive-date=21 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721055829/http://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/mfr4412/mfr44124.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Somcoralreef.jpg|thumb|right|Somalia's [[coral reef]]s, ecological parks and protected areas]]
After the collapse of the central government in the ensuing civil war, the [[Somali Navy]] disbanded in 1990–1991. With Somali territorial waters undefended, foreign [[fishing trawler]]s began illegally fishing on the Somali seaboard and ships began dumping industrial and other waste off the Somali coast. This led to erosion of the [[Fish stocks|fish stock]] and local fishermen started to band together to try to protect their resources. An escalation began, leading to weapons being used and tactics such as taking over a foreign ship until their owners paid a ransom.<ref name="Gerforpol">{{cite web |url=http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57866 |title=The Advantage of Piracy |publisher=German-foreign-policy.com |access-date=17 December 2011 |archive-date=29 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929233723/http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57866 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Spafcfbol">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/11/somali-pirates-a-far-cry-from-buccaneers-of-old/?page=1 |title=Somali pirates a far cry from buccaneers of old |work=The Washington Times |date=11 April 2009 |access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Najad Abdullahi|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2008/10/2008109174223218644.html|title="'Toxic waste' behind Somali piracy", October 2008|publisher=English.aljazeera.net|date=11 October 2008|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref>

Pirate activity reportedly began off the coast around 2000, but rapidly escalated during the [[War in Somalia (2006–2009)|War in Somalia from 2006 to 2009]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=India: 332 days at the mercy of Somali pirates - a survivor's account |url=https://www.unodc.org/southasia/frontpage/2012/April/At-the-mercy-of-somali-pirates.html |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.unodc.org}}</ref> During the [[Islamic Courts Union|Islamic Court Union's]] six-month rule of southern Somalia in the months prior, pirate activity completely ceased due to the extensive [[Anti-piracy measures in Somalia|anti-piracy]] operations conducted by the courts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Viscusi |first=Gregory |date=2008-12-04 |title=Did U.S. action create Somali pirate haven? |url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/12/4/20289512/did-u-s-action-create-somali-pirate-haven |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=[[Deseret News]] |language=en |agency=Bloomberg News}}</ref> After the organization's collapse in early 2007, piracy sharply increased. Reportedly, elements within the [[Transitional Federal Government of Somalia|Transitional Federal Government]] (TFG) were involved in the lucrative piracy business during this early period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maliti |first=Tom |date=17 Oct 2007 |title=Piracy Off Somalia's Coast Increases |url=https://www.hiiraan.com/comments2-news-2007-oct-piracy_off_somalia_s_coast_increases.aspx |access-date=7 Jun 2023 |website=www.hiiraan.com |publisher=[[Hiiraan Online]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> Seeing the profitability of ransom payments, some financiers and former militiamen started to fund pirate activities, sharing the profits equally with the pirates.<ref>{{cite news |last=Westcott |first=Kathryn |date=23 April 2008 |title=Somalia's pirates face battles at sea |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7358764.stm |access-date=2 May 2008}}</ref> In most of the hijackings, the pirates have not harmed their prisoners.<ref>[http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Somali-Pirates-Seized-Ships-Hijackings-In-The-Countrys-Waters/Article/200808315079721 Somali Pirates Seize Two Ships], [[Sky News]], 15 August 2008 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216082741/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Somali-Pirates-Seized-Ships-Hijackings-In-The-Countrys-Waters/Article/200808315079721|date=16 December 2008}}</ref>

[[Combined Task Force 150]], a multinational coalition task force, subsequently took on the role of fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia by establishing a [[Maritime Security Patrol Area]] (MSPA) within the Gulf of Aden.<ref name="MSPA">{{cite web|title=Combined Task Force 150 Thwarts Criminal Activities|author=Commander, Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs|publisher=US Africa Command|url=http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=2137|date=29 September 2008|access-date=17 November 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206083436/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=2137|archive-date=6 December 2008}}</ref> However, many foreign naval vessels chasing pirates were forced to break off when the pirates entered Somali territorial waters.<ref name="CNN, October 2007">{{cite news |first=Barbara |last=Starr |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/10/29/somalia.pirates/index.html|title=U.S. destroyer pursuing hijacked ship in Somali waters, military says|publisher=CNN|date=29 October 2007|access-date=22 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Rankin |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7280042.stm |title=No vessel is safe from modern pirates |work=BBC News|date=11 March 2008|access-date=26 March 2010}}</ref> To address this, in June 2008, following a letter from the Somali [[Transitional Federal Government of Somalia|TFG]] to the President of the UN Security Council requesting assistance for the TFG's efforts to tackle acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a declaration authorizing nations that have the consent of the Transitional Federal Government to enter Somali territorial waters to deal with pirates.<ref name="UN_SPV5902_2008">{{UN document |docid=S-PV-5902 |date=2 June 2008 |type=Verbatim Report |body=Security Council |meeting=5902 |accessdate=3 June 2008}}</ref> On the advice of lawyers, the [[Royal Navy]] and other international naval forces have often released suspected pirates that they have captured because, although the men are frequently armed, they have not been caught engaging in acts of piracy and have thus not technically committed a crime.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/6684210/Navy-regularly-releases-Somali-pirates-even-when-caught-in-the-act.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/6684210/Navy-regularly-releases-Somali-pirates-even-when-caught-in-the-act.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=Navy regularly releases Somali pirates, even when caught in the act | newspaper=The Telegraph | date=29 November 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Due to improved anti-piracy measures the success of piracy acts on sea decreased dramatically by the end of 2011, with only 4 vessels hijacked in the last quarter versus 17 in the last quarter of the preceding year.<ref name=bahadur>{{cite news| url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/31/somalia-pirates-adopt-troubling-new-tactics.html|first=Jay|last=Bahadur|newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]]| title=Somalia Pirates Adopt Troubling New Tactics|date=31 January 2012 |access-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> In response, pirates resorted to increased hostage taking on land.<ref name=bahadur/> The government of the autonomous [[Puntland]] region has also made progress in combating piracy, evident in interventions by its [[Puntland Maritime Police Force|maritime police force]] (PMPF).<ref name="Reuters: 2008-04-23">{{cite news|first=Abdiqani|last=Hassan|title=Crew say lucky to be alive after Somali hijack|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-pirates-idUSL236175320080423
|publisher=[[Reuters]] Africa|date=23 April 2008|access-date=25 April 2008}}</ref>

In part to further curtail piracy activity, the [[London Somalia Conference]] was convened in February 2012.

According to the [[International Maritime Bureau]], pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean had by October 2012 dropped to a six-year low.<ref name="Bspftsylagds">{{cite news|last=Alaric Nightingale|first=Michelle Wiese Bockmann|title=Somalia Piracy Falls to Six-Year Low as Guards Defend Ships|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-22/somalia-piracy-attacks-plunge-as-navies-secure-trade-route|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024233644/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-22/somalia-piracy-attacks-plunge-as-navies-secure-trade-route|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2012|access-date=25 October 2012|newspaper=Bloomberg News|date=22 October 2012}}</ref> Attempted hijackings fell from 237 in 2011 to 75 the following year, with successful attacks plummeting from 28 in 2011 to 14 in 2012.<ref name="Ssiparfylit">{{cite news|title=Somalia: International Piracy Attacks Reach Five-Year Low in 2012|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201301180240.html|access-date=21 January 2013|newspaper=Sabahi|date=17 January 2013}}</ref> Additionally, only one ship was attacked in the third quarter of 2012 compared to 36 during the same period in 2011.<ref name="Bspftsylagds"/>

=== Summary of events ===
{{Main article|List of ships attacked by Somali pirates}}
Somali pirates have attacked hundreds of vessels in the [[Arabian Sea]] and [[Indian Ocean]] region, though most attacks do not result in a successful hijacking. In 2008, there were 111 attacks which included 42 successful hijackings.<ref name="FoxNews20000336">{{cite news|title=Pirates Hijack Two Tankers Within 24 Hours Off Somali Shore|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/pirates-hijack-two-tankers-within-24-hours-off-somali-shore|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=26 March 2009|access-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> However, this is only a fraction of the up to 30,000 merchant vessels which pass through that area.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oman-tanker-lanes-factbox-idUSTRE7184SD20110209 "Factbox: Pirates stalk shipping lanes"], Reuters, 9 February 2011</ref> The rate of attacks in January and February 2009 was about 10 times higher than during the same period in 2008 and "there have been almost daily attacks in March",<ref name="FoxNews20000336"/> with 79 attacks,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92316&Itemid=61|title= pr-canada.net |publisher=Pr-Canada.Net|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref> 21 successful, by mid-April. Most of these attacks occurred in the Gulf of Aden but subsequently the pirates increased their range and started attacking ships as far south as off the coast of Kenya in the Indian Ocean.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7735507.stm "Seized tanker anchors off Somalia"], BBC News, 18 November 2008</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=India: Pirate 'mother ship' left in flames|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/19/somalia.pirates/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=19 November 2008|access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> Below are some notable pirate events which have garnered significant media coverage since 2007.

====2005====
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2019}}
The [[United States Coast Guard]] cutter {{USCGC|Munro|WHEC-724|6}}, working with the British aircraft carrier {{HMS|Invincible|R05|6}} and destroyer {{HMS|Nottingham|D91|6}} in the [[Gulf of Aden]], intercepted a hijacked vessel at around noon on 17 March. The interception was ordered after Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT) received telephone reports from the [[International Maritime Bureau]]'s Piracy Reporting Center in [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia, concerning the hijacking of the Thai-flagged fishing boat ''Sirichai Nava 12'' by three Somalis on the evening of 16 March, as well as a fax indicating that the hijackers demanded U.S. $800,000 in ransom for the vessel's crew.

Commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 tasked ''Invincible'', ''Nottingham'' and ''Munro'' to investigate the situation. A [[Visit, Board, Search and Seizure]] (VBSS) team from ''Munro'' boarded ''Sirichai Nava'', while a boarding team from ''Nottingham'' went on to a second fishing vessel, ''Ekhwat Patana'', which was with the Thai vessel. ''Munro''{{'}}s boarding team detained the Somalis without incident.

One of the crew members of the Thai vessel had a minor flesh wound, which was treated by the ''Munro'' boarding team. The Coast Guardsmen also discovered four automatic weapons in the pilothouse, expended ammunition shells on the deck of the vessel, as well as ammunition on the detained suspects. The three suspects were transferred to ''Munro''.

==== 2007 ====
On 28 May 2007, a Chinese sailor was killed by the pirates because the ship's owners failed to meet their ransom demand.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSL15534801|title=Somali pirates killed Chinese sailor-official|date=14 November 2007|access-date=12 April 2009|work=Reuters|first=Duncan|last=Miriri}}</ref> On 5 October 2008, the [[United Nations Security Council]] adopted [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1838|resolution 1838]]<ref name="UN_SRES18382008">{{UN document|docid=S-RES-1838 (2008)|type=Resolution|body=Security Council|year=2008|resolution_number=1838|accessdate=19 November 2008|date= 7 October 2008}}</ref> calling on nations with vessels in the area to apply military force to repress the acts of piracy.<ref name=UN>{{cite news|url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jxzBM8B5jScl8Wirb9gP7aMZ-A0g |title=New Somalia piracy resolution adopted at UN |date=8 October 2008 |agency=Agence France-Presse|access-date=10 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201095821/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jxzBM8B5jScl8Wirb9gP7aMZ-A0g |archive-date=1 December 2008 }}</ref> At the 101st council of the International Maritime Organization, India called for a United Nations [[peacekeeping]] force under unified command to tackle piracy off Somalia.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-calls-for-UN-force-to-deter-pirates-off-Somalia/articleshow/3710102.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105040131/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-11-13/india/27891712_1_eyl-aden-government-after-somali-pirates|url-status=live|archive-date=5 November 2012|title=India calls for UN force to deter pirates off Somalia|date=13 November 2008|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref> (There has been a [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 751|general and complete arms embargo against Somalia]] since 1992.)

In October 2007, Somali pirates hijacked a North Korean cargo ship. This was called the [[Dai Hong Dan incident]]. Somali pirates took North Korean sailors hostage, prompting the United States to come to its aid—an uncommon occurrence between both nations at the time. A U.S. Naval vessel helped North Korean sailors get back their ship. Some Somali pirates were wounded during the operation. North Korea thanked the U.S. for its help shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-korea-north-pirates-idUSSEO27491420071109| title=North Korea offers rare thanks to U.S. for help|access-date=19 August 2018|publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

==== 2008 ====
In November 2008, Somali pirates began hijacking ships well outside the [[Gulf of Aden]], perhaps targeting ships headed for the port of [[Mombasa]], Kenya.<ref name="ihtTanyo2008-11-14">{{cite news|title=Chinese fishing boat reported hijacked off Kenya |agency=Associated Press |date=14 November 2008 |access-date=17 November 2008 |work=International Herald Tribune |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/14/news/Piracy.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213163148/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/14/news/Piracy.php |archive-date=13 February 2009 }}</ref> The frequency and sophistication of the attacks also increased around this time, as did the size of vessels being targeted. Large cargo ships, oil and chemical tankers on international voyages became the new targets of choice for the Somali hijackers. This is in stark contrast to the pirate attacks which were once frequent in the [[Strait of Malacca]], another strategically important waterway for international trade, which were according to maritime security expert [[Catherine Zara Raymond]], generally directed against "smaller, more vulnerable vessels carrying trade across the Straits or employed in the coastal trade on either side of the Straits."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/policy_papers/IDSS%20S&S%20book.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726085413/http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/policy_papers/IDSS%20S%26S%20book.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 July 2011 |title=IDSS S&S FPP.indd |access-date=27 March 2011 }}</ref>

On 19 November 2008, the [[Indian Navy]] warship {{INS|Tabar}} sank a suspected pirate [[Mother ship|mothership]].<ref>{{cite news|title=India 'sinks Somali pirate ship'|work= BBC News|date= 19 November 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7736885.stm}}</ref> Later, it was claimed to be a Thai trawler being hijacked by pirates.<ref>{{cite news|title=Indian navy 'sank Thai trawler'|work= BBC News|date=25 November 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7749245.stm}}</ref> The Indian Navy later defended its actions by stating that its ship was fired upon first.<ref>{{cite news|title=India navy defends piracy sinking|work= BBC News|date= 26 November 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7749486.stm}}</ref> On 21 November 2008, BBC News reported that the Indian Navy had received United Nations approval to enter Somali waters to combat piracy.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pandey|first=Geeta|title=India navy 'to go after pirates'|publisher=BBC|date=21 November 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7741287.stm|access-date=21 November 2008}}</ref>

==== 2009 ====
On 8 April 2009, four Somali pirates seized {{MV|Maersk Alabama}} {{convert|240|nmi|km mi|lk=in}} southeast of the Somalia port city of [[Eyl]].<ref>{{cite news|date= 9 April 2009|last=Sanders|first= Edmund|author2=Barnes, Julian E. |url= http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-somali-pirates9-2009apr09,0,4104857.story|title= Somalia pirates hold U.S. captain|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date= 12 April 2009}}</ref> The ship was carrying 17,000 [[tonne]]s of cargo, of which 5,000 tonnes were relief supplies bound for Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya.<ref name="BBC7989474">{{cite news|title=Somali pirates hijack Danish ship|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7989474.stm|date= 8 April 2009|access-date= 8 April 2009|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref name="CNN">{{cite news|title=Ship carrying 20 Americans believed hijacked off Somalia|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/08/ship.hijacked/index.html|date= 9 April 2009|access-date=9 April 2009|publisher=CNN}}</ref> On 12 April 2009, [[United States Navy SEALs|U.S. Navy SEAL]] snipers killed the three pirates who were holding [[Captain Richard Phillips]] hostage aboard a [[lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] from ''Maersk Alabama'' after determining that Captain Phillips' life was in immediate danger.<ref>{{cite news|date=12 April 2009|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSXyAok3YrJTZLKD31SAjC9pfvkgD97H4J581|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090415084700/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSXyAok3YrJTZLKD31SAjC9pfvkgD97H4J581|archive-date=15 April 2009|url-status=dead|title=Official: US sea captain faced imminent danger|agency= Associated Press|access-date=12 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=12 April 2009|last=Mikkelsen|first=Randall|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1233162120090412|title= US acted after pirates aimed at ship captain|work= Reuters|access-date=12 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415084700/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSXyAok3YrJTZLKD31SAjC9pfvkgD97H4J581|url-status=live|archive-date=15 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=13 April 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7996087.stm|title= US captain rescued from pirates|work=BBC News|access-date=13 April 2009}}</ref> A fourth pirate, [[Abdul Wali Muse]], surrendered and was taken into custody.<ref name="CNN04120901">{{cite news|date=12 April 2001|last= Verjee|first=Zain|author-link=Zain Verjee|author2=Starr, Barbara |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html|title=Captain jumps overboard, SEALs shoot pirates, official says|publisher=CNN|access-date=12 April 2009}}</ref><ref name="BBC041209">{{cite news|date=12 April 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7996087.stm|title=US captain held by pirates freed|work=BBC News|access-date=14 April 2009}}</ref> He pled guilty to hijacking, kidnapping and hostage taking charges, receiving a sentence of 33 years and 9 months in Federal prison.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rivera |first=Ray |date=2010-05-19 |title=Somali Man Pleads Guilty in 2009 Hijacking of Ship |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/nyregion/19pirate.html |access-date=2023-11-18 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On 20 April 2009, [[United States Secretary of State]] [[Hillary Clinton]] commented on the capture and release of seven Somali pirates by Dutch Naval forces who were on a NATO mission.<ref name="CNN20090420">{{cite news|title=Clinton says releasing pirates sends 'wrong signal'|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/20/clinton.pirates/index.html|author=Elise Labott|date=20 April 2009|access-date=21 April 2009}}</ref> After an attack on ''Handytankers Magic'', a petroleum tanker, the Dutch [[frigate]] {{HNLMS|De Zeven Provinciën|F802|2}} tracked the pirates back to a pirate mothership and captured them.<ref name="CNN20090420" /><ref name="Reuters20090418">{{cite news|title=NATO frees pirate hostages, Belgian ship seized|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSLI11637320090418?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0|author=Mohamed Ahmed|date=18 April 2009|access-date=21 April 2009}}</ref> They confiscated the pirates' weapons and freed 20 Yemeni fishermen whom the pirates had kidnapped and who had been forced to sail the pirate mothership.<ref name="CNN20090420" /><ref name="Reuters20090418" /> Since the Dutch Naval Forces were part of a NATO exercise, but not on an EU mission, they lacked legal jurisdiction to keep the pirates so they released them.<ref name="CNN20090420" /> Clinton stated that this action "sends the wrong signal" and that additional coordination was needed among nations.<ref name="CNN20090420" />

On 23 April 2009, international donors pledged over $250 million for Somalia, including $134 million to increase the African Union peacekeeping mission from 4,350 troops to 8,000 troops and $34 million for Somali security forces.<ref name="ABC20090423">{{cite news|title=Donors Pledge Over $250 Million for Somalia |publisher=CNN |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=7407956 |author=Constant Brand |date=23 April 2009 |access-date=23 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628214249/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=7407956 |archive-date=28 June 2011 }}</ref><ref name="USAToday20090423">{{cite news |title=Donors pledge over $250 million for Somalia|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-04-23-somalia-donors_N.htm|date=23 April 2009|access-date=23 April 2009}}</ref> [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]] [[Ban Ki-moon]] told delegates at a donors' conference sponsored by the UN that "piracy is a symptom of anarchy and insecurity on the ground" and that "more security on the ground will make less piracy on the seas."<ref name="ABC20090423" /><ref name="USAToday20090423" /> Somali [[President of Somalia|President]] [[Sharif Ahmed]] pledged at the conference that he would fight piracy and to loud applause said that "it is our duty to pursue these criminals not only on the high seas, but also on terra firma".<ref name="ABC20090423" /><ref name="USAToday20090423" /> The Somali government has not gone after pirates because pirate leaders currently have more power than the government.<ref name="ABC20090423" /><ref name="USAToday20090423" /> In 2008 the pirates are estimated to have gained about $80 million through ransom payments.<ref name="ABC20090423" /><ref name="USAToday20090423" />

[[George Mason University]] professor Peter Leeson suggested that the international community appropriate Somali territorial waters and sell them, together with the international portion of the Gulf of Aden, to a private company which would then provide security from piracy in exchange for charging tolls to world shipping through the Gulf.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y2YyYWQ0ZTQwYjQzZTFiZGViMGUzZTZlOWY5ZDgxMTg=|title=Want to Prevent Piracy? Privatize the Ocean|author=Leeson, Peter T.|date=April 13, 2009|work=National Review|access-date=March 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422130251/http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y2YyYWQ0ZTQwYjQzZTFiZGViMGUzZTZlOWY5ZDgxMTg%3D|archive-date=April 22, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=7537710&page=1|title=Could Profit Motive Put an End to Piracy?|date=May 8, 2009|publisher=ABC News|author1=Stossel, John|author2=Kirell, Andrew|name-list-style=amp|access-date=June 28, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806082118/https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=7537710&page=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 2 May 2009, Somali pirates captured MV ''Ariana'' with its 24 Ukrainian crew.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elmundo.es/suplementos/cronica/2009/736/1258844401.html |title=No dejo de pensar en la ni Niña de 12 años que vi cuando me llevaron a otro barco y en la cocinera violada por los piratas |language=es |newspaper=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |date=22 November 2009}}</ref> The ship was released on 10 December 2009 after a ransom of almost US$3,000,000 was paid.<ref name=BBC8406303>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8406303.stm|title=Somali pirates free Greek ship with Ukrainian crew|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=12 December 2009|date=10 December 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Suspected pirate skiff near Somalia.jpg|right|thumb|Armed pirates in the Indian Ocean near [[Somalia]]. After the picture was taken, the vessel's crew members opened fire on [[U.S. Navy]] ships and the ship's crew members returned fire. One suspected pirate was killed and 12 were taken into custody (see [[March 18, 2006 incident off Somalia|engaged pirate vessels]]).]]
On 8 November 2009, Somali pirates threatened that a kidnapped British couple, the Chandlers, would be "punished" if a German warship did not release seven pirates.<ref name="FoxNews20091108">{{cite news|title=Pirates Step Up Threats Against British Couple, Threaten to 'Punish' Them|publisher=Fox News Channel|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/pirates-step-up-threats-against-british-couple-threaten-to-punish-them|date=8 November 2009|access-date=8 November 2009}}</ref> Omer, one of the pirates holding the British couple, claimed the seven men were fishermen, but a European Union Naval Force spokesman stated they were captured as they fired [[AK-47]] assault rifles at a French [[fishing vessel]].<ref name="FoxNews20091108"/> The Chandlers were released on 14 November 2010 after 388 days of captivity. At least two ransom payments, reportedly over [[Pound sterling|£]]500,000, had been made.<ref name="uk-11752027">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11752027|title=BBC News: Somali pirates free UK couple Paul and Rachel Chandler|publisher=BBC|date=14 November 2010|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref>

==== 2010 ====
In April 2010, the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) alluded to possible covert and overt action against the pirates. CIA officials had been publicly warning of this potential threat for months. In a ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'' article, a CIA official said, "We need to deal with this problem from the beach side, in concert with the ocean side, but we don't have an embassy in Somalia and limited, ineffective intelligence operations. We need to work in Somalia and in [[Lebanon]], where a lot of the ransom money has changed hands. But our operations in Lebanon are a joke, and we have no presence at all in Somalia".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://harpers.org/archive/2009/04/hbc-90004751|title=Harpers Magazine, ''Pirates and the CIA: What would Thomas Jefferson have done?'' by Ken Silverstein, 9 April 2009, but modified on 12 April|publisher=Harpers.org|access-date=27 March 2011|date=9 April 2009}}</ref>

In early May 2010, [[Spetsnaz|Russian special forces]] retook a Russian oil tanker that had been hijacked by 11 pirates. One died in the assault, and a week later Russian military officials reported that the remainder were freed due to weaknesses in [[international law]] but died before reaching the Somali coast. [[President of Russia|Russian President]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] had announced the day the ship was retaken that "we'll have to do what our forefathers did when they met the pirates" until a suitable way of prosecuting them is available.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FKN8L84.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102054321/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FKN8L84.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 November 2012|title=Russia says freed pirates didn't reach land|author=Mansur Mirovalev|date=11 May 2010|work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek}}</ref>

On 11 May 2010, Somali pirates seized a Bulgarian-flagged ship in the [[Gulf of Aden]]. ''Panega'', with 15 Bulgarian crew members aboard, was en route from the Red Sea to India or Pakistan. This was the first such hijacking of a Bulgarian-flagged ship. On 12 May 2010, Athens announced that Somali pirates had seized a Greek vessel in the Gulf of Aden with at least 24 people on board, including two Greek citizens and several Philippine citizens. The vessel, sailing under the Liberian flag, was transporting iron from Ukraine to China.

==== 2011 ====
On 14 January 2011, while speaking to reporters, [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] Michiel Hijmans of the [[Royal Netherlands Navy]] stated that the use of hijacked vessels in more recent hijackings had led to increased range of pirating activities, as well as difficulty to actively thwart future events due to the use of kidnapped sailors as [[human shields]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Smarter Somali pirates thwarting navies, NATO admits |author=Michael Richards |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110114/wl_africa_afp/somaliapiracyshippingnato_20110114190819 |agency=Agence France-Presse|date=14 January 2011 |access-date=23 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122115627/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110114/wl_africa_afp/somaliapiracyshippingnato_20110114190819 |archive-date=22 January 2011 }}</ref>

On 15 January 2011 13 Somali pirates [[Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden|seized ''Samho Jewelry'']], a Maltese-flagged chemical carrier operated by Samho Shipping, 650&nbsp;km southeast of [[Muscat, Oman|Muscat]]. The [[Republic of Korea Navy]] destroyer {{ship|ROKS|Choi Young|DDH-981|2}} shadowed ''Samho Jewelry'' for several days. In the early morning of 21 January 2011, 25 [[Republic of Korea Navy UDT/SEAL|ROK Navy SEALs]] on small boats launched from ''Choi Young'' boarded ''Samho Jewelry'' while ''Choi Young''{{'}}s [[Super Lynx|Westland Super Lynx]] provided covering fire. Eight pirates were killed and five captured in the operation; the crew of 21 was freed with the captain suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2931338|title=Navy storms hijacked ship, rescues all 21 sailors|access-date=21 January 2011|date=21 January 2011|publisher=Korea JoongAng Daily}}</ref> The captain fully recovered later.

On 28 January 2011, an [[Indian Coast Guard]] aircraft while responding to a distress call from ''CMA CGM Verdi'', located two skiffs attempting a piracy attack near [[Lakshadweep]]. Seeing the aircraft, the skiffs immediately aborted their piracy attempt and dashed towards the mother vessel, MV ''Prantalay 14'' – a hijacked Thai trawler, which hurriedly hoisted the two skiffs on board and moved westward. The Indian Navy deployed [[INS Cankarso (T73)|INS ''Cankaraso'' (T73)]] which located and engaged the mothership {{convert|100|nmi|km}} north of the [[Minicoy]] island. Ten pirates were killed while 15 were apprehended and 20 [[Thai people|Thai]] and Burmese fishermen being held aboard the ship as hostages were rescued.<ref name="google1">{{cite news
|url=https://news.google.com/news/more?q=indian+navy+news&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=TQr&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivnsu&resnum=4&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ncl=dalubOnqq3k9VhMp2DaP0ZRrzmUNM&ei=OWhLTcfwHYW8cJ6Z1d4L&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=5&ved=0CFgQqgIwBA
|title=Various News Reports, collected on Google News |access-date=4 January 2011}}</ref>

Within a week of its previous success, the Indian Navy captured another hijacked Thai trawler, MV ''Prantalay 11'' and captured 28 pirates aboard in an operation undertaken by {{INS|Tir|A86|6}} pursuant to receiving information that a [[Greeks|Greek]] merchant ship had been attacked by pirates on board high-speed boats, although it had managed to avoid capture. When INS ''Tir'' ordered the pirate ship to stop and be boarded for inspection, it was fired upon. INS ''Tir'' returned fire in which three pirates were injured and caused the pirates to raise a white flag indicating their surrender. INS ''Tir'' subsequently was joined by CGS ''Samar'' of the Indian Coast Guard. Officials from the Indian Navy reported that a total of 52 men were apprehended, but of that 24 are believed to be Thai fishermen who were hostages of the 28 African pirates.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12376695|title=BBC News: Indian navy seizes pirates' Indian Ocean mothership|access-date=4 January 2011}}</ref>

In late February 2011, piracy targeting smaller yachts and collecting ransom made headlines when four Americans were killed aboard their vessel, ''Quest'', by their captors, while a military ship shadowed them.<ref name="Americans slain by captors on hijacked yacht; pirates killed, arrested">{{cite news|url= http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/22/somalia.us.yacht/index.html|title=Americans slain by captors on hijacked yacht; pirates killed, arrested |publisher=CNN|date=22 February 2011|access-date=22 February 2011}}</ref> A federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, sentenced three members of the gang that seized the yacht to life imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news|title=Somali pirate gets life in jail|publisher=BBC|date= 3 October 2011|access-date= 3 October 2011|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15155047}}</ref>
On 24 February 2011 a Danish family on a yacht were captured by pirates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Udland/2011/03/01/162340.htm |title=Pirater truer med at dræbe gidsler – dr.dk/Nyheder/Udland |date=March 2011 |publisher=Dr.dk |access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref>

In March 2011, the Indian Navy intercepted a pirate mother vessel {{convert|600|nmi|km}} west of the Indian coast in the Arabian Sea and rescued 13 hostages, the names of the 13 hostages are James Blaydes, Thomas Walton, Lucas Pittman, Thomas Strauss, William Dickey, Jett Rice, Jude Coppola, and Rex Reeves. The names of the others were not found. Sixty-one pirates were also caught in the operation carried out by Navy's [[INS Kalpeni (T75)|INS ''Kalpeni'' (T75)]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/navy-intercepts-pirate-ship-rescues-13-sailors/145840-3.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316054750/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/navy-intercepts-pirate-ship-rescues-13-sailors/145840-3.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 March 2011|title=Navy intercepts pirate ship, rescues 13 sailors|access-date=14 March 2011}}</ref>

In late March 2011, the Indian Navy seized 16 suspected pirates after a three-hour-long battle in the Arabian Sea, The navy also rescued 16 crew members of a hijacked Iranian ship west of the [[Lakshadweep Islands]]. The crew included 12 Iranians and four Pakistanis.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12877557 | work=BBC News | title=Indian navy captures 16 Somali pirates on Iranian ship | date=28 March 2011}}</ref>

In October 2011, [[Rescue of Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted|Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted]], while working on a [[demining]] project with the [[Danish Refugee Council]]; were kidnapped by [[Somalis|Somali]] [[pirate]]s in [[Galkayo]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Sheikh |first=Abdi |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-hostages-idUSTRE80O0I220120125 |title=U.S. commandos free two hostages in daring Somalia raid |publisher=[[Reuters]] |accessdate=2024-05-06 |date=January 25, 2012}}</ref>The pair were rescued in January 2012.<ref name=NYT2012>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/world/africa/us-raid-frees-2-hostages-from-somali-pirates.html | work=[[The New York Times]] | first1=Jeffrey | last1=Gettleman | author-link = Jeffrey Gettleman| first2=Eric | last2=Schmitt | authorlink2 = Eric P. Schmitt| first3=Thom | last3=Shanker | title=U.S. Commandos Free 2 Hostages From Somali Pirates | date=January 25, 2012|accessdate=2024-05-06}}</ref>

==== 2012 ====
On 5 January 2012, an MH-60S Seahawk from the [[Guided missile destroyer|guided-missile destroyer]] {{USS|Kidd|DDG-100|6}}, part of the [[Carrier Strike Group 3]] led by the {{USS|John C. Stennis|CVN-74|6}}, detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing boat, ''Al Molai''. The master of ''Al Molai'' sent a distress call about the same time reporting pirates were holding him captive.

A visit, board, search and seizure team from ''Kidd'' boarded the dhow, a traditional Arabian sailing vessel, and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. ''Al Molai'' had been hijacked and used as a mothership for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, members of the Iranian vessel's crew reported.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66710|work= American Forces Press Service|title= Pirate Capture Shows U.S. Commitment to Free Seas, Leaders Say|date=7 January 2012}}</ref>

On 21 January 2012, while researching a book on piracy via a [[Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting]] grant; journalist [[Michael Scott Moore]] was abducted in [[Galkayo]] by a local gang of pirates, who subsequently demanded $20 million.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} U.S. and [[German Foreign Ministry|German officials]] negotiated with the pirates until Moore was freed, September 22, 2014, after $USD1.6 million dollars ransom was paid, and following 977 days of captivity.<ref>{{cite news|title=American-German Journalist Michael Scott Moore Released in Somalia|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/american-german-journalist-michael-scott-moore-released-in-somalia-a-993308.html|accessdate=2024-05-06|agency=Der Spiegel|date=September 23, 2014}}</ref> Moore's account is detailed in his memoir, ''The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moore |first1=Michael Scott |title=The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast |date=2018 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=9780062449191 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=scXADQAAQBAJ |access-date=6 May 2024}}</ref>

On 25 January 2012, [[Navy SEAL]]s parachuted from a [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130 Hercules]] twelve miles north of the Somali town of Adado, [[Galguduud]], where pirates held hostages in order to seek ransom for them.<ref name=NYT2012/>  The SEALs, traveling on foot from the [[drop zone]], attacked the compound, and engaged in battle, killing all nine pirates and rescuing two aid workers, [[Rescue of Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted|Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted]] held captive since the previous October.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |date=January 27, 2012 |title=U.S. special forces rescue Somalia aid workers |publisher=[[CNN]] |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/25/world/africa/somalia-aid-workers/index.html |accessdate=2024-05-06}}</ref> The rescue raid is detailed in A first-hand account of the raid appears in Buchanan's 2014 memoir, ''Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six''.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Jessica Buchanan, Erik Landemalm and Anthony Flacco |title=Impossible |date=2014 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9780060094454 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2VOBAAAQBAJ |access-date=6 May 2024}}</ref>

==== 2013 and decline ====
On 11 October, pirates attacked Hong Kong registered tanker ''Island Splendor'' and attacked a Spanish fishing vessel three days later. Suspected to have been carried out by the same group of pirates, they were tracked down by RFA ''Fort Victoria'', supported by {{HMAS|Melbourne|FFG 05|6}}, {{Ship|ROKS|Wang Geon|DDH-978|6}}, European Union flagship {{HNLMS|Johan de Witt|L801|6}}, and a Seychelles-based maritime patrol aircraft from Luxembourg. The pirate skiffs were tracked by ''Melbourne''{{'}}s [[Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk|Seahawk]] helicopter, a boarding team from ''Melbourne'' searched the skiffs, they successfully apprehended nine pirates and later destroyed two skiffs and their equipment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2013/october/21/131021-somali-pirates|title=Teamwork helps stop Somali pirates|date=21 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/royal-navy-helps-apprehend-somali-pirates|title=Royal Navy helps apprehend Somali pirates|date=21 October 2013}}</ref>

By December 2013, the US [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] reported that only nine vessels had been attacked during the year by the pirates, with no successful hijackings.<ref name="Qspwrtzty">{{cite news|last=Yanofsky|first=David|title=Somali piracy was reduced to zero this year|url=http://qz.com/161704/somali-piracy-was-reduced-to-zero-this-year/|access-date=14 January 2014|newspaper=Quartz|date=27 December 2013}}</ref> [[Control Risks Group|Control Risks]] attributed this 90% decline in pirate activity from the corresponding period in 2012 to the adoption of best management practices by vessel owners and crews, armed private security on board ships, a significant naval presence, and the development of onshore security forces.<ref name="Tspidnpfly">{{cite news|title=Somali piracy is down 90 per cent from last year|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/piracy-somalia-down-on-last-year-1219326-Dec2013/|access-date=14 January 2014|newspaper=The Journal|date=15 December 2013}}</ref>

With the increase in [[illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing|illegal fishing]] off Somalia after the 2013 decline in piracy, fishing vessels became targets in a few incidents in 2015.<ref name=kriel>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/23/world/somalia-piracy/| author=Kriel R, Duggan B |title=Somali pirates seize Iranian, Thai ships| publisher=CNN |date=24 November 2015 |access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref> In March two Iranian vessels and in November one Iranian and a Thai vessel were attacked.<ref name=kriel/>

==== 2015 ====
In 2015, a report by the Spanish [[Chief of Staff of the Navy (Spain)|Office of the Chieff of Staff of the Navy]] stated that the EU [[Operation Atalanta]] had been a "success" and that the "periodic reports prepared by intelligence units and sent to the Navy Staff reflect the “practical eradication of suspicious activity” in these waters."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Digital |first=Confidencial |date=2015-02-10 |title=Informe de la Armada: la piratería en Somalia está erradicada |url=https://www.elconfidencialdigital.com/articulo/defensa/Informe-Armada-pirateria-Somalia-erradicada/20150209193807076120.html |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=Confidencial Digital |language=es}}</ref> After a small rebound in 2017, the European Union has periodically extended Operation Atalanta, and the official position has been that "piracy in Somalia is contained, but not eradicated".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-04 |title=El jefe de la 'operación Atalanta': "La piratería no está erradicada" |url=https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2018/11/04/5bddd113468aeb80518b45aa.html |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=ELMUNDO |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-15 |title=La piratería en Somalia, contenida, pero no erradicada |url=https://www.rtve.es/play/audios/radar-30-en-radio-5/pirateria-somalia-contenida-pero-no-erradicada/6096139/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=RTVE.es |language=es}}</ref>

==== 2017 ====
The tanker ''Aris 13'', which had been carrying fuel from Djibouti to [[Mogadishu]], was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on 13 March 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/somali-pirates-release-oil-tanker-061033327.html|title=Somali pirates release oil tanker and crew members without ransom, officials say|access-date=2017-03-17|language=en-US}}</ref> This was the first reported hijacking of a large commercial vessel in five years. Two skiffs approached the tanker and boarded the vessel off the northern coast of Somalia. Eight Sri Lankan crew members were aboard at the time. After being captured, ''Aris 13'' was taken to Alula and anchored there before its release without ransom was confirmed by security officials on 16 March 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/16/somali-pirates-release-oil-tanker-crew-without-ransom/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/16/somali-pirates-release-oil-tanker-crew-without-ransom/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Somali pirates release oil tanker and crew without ransom|date=2017-03-16|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/somalia-alula-piracy-report-1.4023772 |title=Pirates hijack oil tanker off Somalia's coast in 1st reported piracy in 5 years |publisher=CBC News |agency=Associated Press|date=14 March 2017}}</ref>

==== 2023 ====
In January 2023, the "Indian Ocean High Risk Area" was removed, following no reported attacks by Somali pirates for several years.<ref name=":0" /> Piracy resurged in the region during the early 2020s,<ref>{{cite news |title=Fears that pirates are returning to seas off Somalia |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240214-fears-that-pirates-are-returning-to-seas-off-somalia |access-date=2024-05-03 |work=France24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hijacked ship off Somalia fuels fears pirates back in Red Sea waters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/hijacked-ship-off-somalia-fuels-fears-pirates-back-red-sea-waters-2023-12-19/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |work=Reuters}}</ref> with incidents of piracy and hijacking in the Somali basin continuing to increase.<ref>{{cite web |title=Paying the price may cause piracy to rise |url=https://safety4sea.com/paying-the-price-may-cause-piracy-to-rise/ |website=safety4sea.com |date=16 April 2024 |publisher=Safety4Sea |access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref>

The March 2024 hijacking of the ''Ruen'' by Somali pirates was their first successful attack on commercial shipping tankers since 2017.<ref name=Splash>{{cite news |title=Somali pirates make their first return in years |url=https://splash247.com/somali-pirates-make-their-first-return-in-years/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |work=Splash247 |publisher=Asia Shipping Media}}</ref>

In November 2023, amid the [[2023 Israel–Hamas war|Israel–Hamas war]], the crew of the [[USS Mason (DDG-87)]] thwarted a suspected Somali pirate attack<ref name="cppolitico">{{cite news |last1=Seligman |first1=Lara |title=Pentagon: Suspected Somali pirates behind cargo ship attack in the Middle East |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/27/pentagon-somali-pirates-attack-00128712 |access-date=28 November 2023 |work=[[Politico]] |date=27 November 2023}}</ref> on the ''Central Park'', a [[flag of convenience|Liberian-flagged]] tanker ship owned by [[Zodiac Maritime]], which is owned by an Israeli.<ref name="cpwapo">{{cite news |last1=Gambrell |first1=Jon |title=Attackers seize an Israel-linked tanker off Yemen in a third such assault during Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/11/26/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-yemen-ship-attack/ba538130-8c5a-11ee-95e1-edd75d825df0_story.html |access-date=28 November 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=26 November 2023 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231126142834/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/11/26/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-yemen-ship-attack/ba538130-8c5a-11ee-95e1-edd75d825df0_story.html |archive-date= 26 November 2023 }}</ref>

==== 2024 ====
In the beginning of 2024, piracy seemed to have had a rebound in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-10 |title=Terrorism, militancy and pirates: Gulf of Aden hijacking underlines naval challenges |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/terrorism-militancy-and-pirates-gulf-of-aden-hijacking-underlines-naval-challenges-9103276/ |url-access=subscription |first1=Abhijit |last1=Singh |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=The Indian Express |language=en }}</ref> In March 2024, [[MV Abdullah]] was hijacked by pirates and the crew taken hostage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pirates seize control of cargo ship near Somalia, say owners |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/12/twenty-armed-men-take-control-of-cargo-ship-off-somalia-say-watchdogs |date=12 Mar 2024 |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> The increase has been attributed to a change of focus, from the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, according to the Maritime Policy Initiative at the [[Observer Research Foundation]], a [[New Delhi]] [[think tank]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 6, 2024 |title=India Navy rescues bulk carrier crew after Arabian Sea hijack attempt |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/india-sends-warship-after-hijacking-liberian-flagged-vessel-arabian-sea-2024-01-05/ |website=Reuters |first1=Krishn |last1=Kaushik |access-date=March 20, 2024}}</ref>

Pirates armed with Kalashnikov-style rifles and rocket-propelled grenades fired upon the [[Marshall Islands]]-[[Ensign (flag)|flagged]] ''Chrystal Arctic'' in an attempted hijacking as it voyaged through the [[Gulf of Aden]] on May 10 but subsequently retreated after the vessel's security team returned fire. The vessel continued its voyage with all of its crew members safe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-10 |title=Suspected pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden raises concerns about growing Somali piracy |url=https://apnews.com/article/mideast-piracy-somalia-yemen-houthi-israel-hamas-war-463b3f1c87b059152cbcb21133c3266e |first1= Jon |last1=Gambrell |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> Six suspected Somali pirates were later located and detained by [[EUNAVFOR]] naval forces, as part of [[Operation Atalanta]].<ref>{{cite news |title=EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta Halts Pirate Assault on Tanker |url=https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/maritime-news/15/maritime-security/2024/11210/eunavfor-operation-atalanta-halts-pirate-assault-on-tanker |first1=Raghib |last1=Raza |access-date=13 May 2024 |work=Maritime Traffic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240703224643/https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/maritime-news/15/maritime-security/2024/11210/eunavfor-operation-atalanta-halts-pirate-assault-on-tanker |archive-date= 3 July 2024 }}</ref>

The Indian Navy has now emerged as a very important player in the western Indian Ocean and has repeatedly carried out operations against pirates. In March 2024, 35 Somali pirates captured from the hijacked bulk carrier MV Reun were sent to Mumbai to be tried. The Indian Navy had carried out a major long-range operation to free the ship.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-03-23 |title=Indian Navy brings 35 Somali pirates who hijacked merchant vessel MV Ruen to Mumbai for trial |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/indian-navy-brings-35-somali-pirates-who-hijacked-merchant-vessel-mv-ruen-to-mumbai-for-trial/articleshow/108723103.cms |work=The Economic Times |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240616161520/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/indian-navy-brings-35-somali-pirates-who-hijacked-merchant-vessel-mv-ruen-to-mumbai-for-trial/articleshow/108723103.cms?from=mdr |archive-date= Jun 16, 2024 }}</ref>

== Pirates ==
[[File:Somali Pirates.jpg|thumb|Photomontage of Somali pirates on the [[MV Faina|MV ''Faina'']]]]

=== Profile ===
Most Somali pirates are young.<ref name="Wpfeo">{{cite web|url=http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1586|title= Why Pirates Fight Each Other |website=SomaliaReport |first1=Jama |last1=Deperani |last2=MJ  |date=September 18, 2011 |access-date=20 May 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611175216/http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1586|archive-date=11 June 2016}}</ref> An official list issued in 2010 by the Somali government of 40 apprehended pirate suspects noted that 80% (32/40) were born in Somalia's southern conflict zones, while only 20% (8/40) came from the more stable northern regions.<ref name="Mmsaokxs">{{cite news|last=Macruf|first=Harun|title=Magacyada Maxaabiis Soomaali ah oo ku xiran Seychelles|url=http://www.voasomali.com/content/magacyada-maxaabiis-ku-xiran-seychelles-99096239/1249862.html|access-date=3 October 2012|newspaper=VOA|date=23 July 2010}}</ref> As of 2012, the pirates primarily operated from the [[Galmudug]] region in the central section of the country.<ref name="PMPFEE">{{cite web|url=http://somaliareport.com/index.php/post/2978/Puntland_Marine_Police_Force_Enter_Eyl_ |title=SomaliaReport: Puntland Marine Police Force Enter Eyl |access-date=20 May 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324073532/http://somaliareport.com/index.php/post/2978/Puntland_Marine_Police_Force_Enter_Eyl_ |archive-date=24 March 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Apclih">[http://dissidentnation.com/anti-piracy-campaign-launched-in-hobyo/ Anti-Piracy Campaign Launched in Hobyo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308042558/http://dissidentnation.com/anti-piracy-campaign-launched-in-hobyo/ |date=8 March 2012 }}</ref> In previous years, they largely ventured to sea from ports located in the northeastern province of [[Puntland]] until the regional administration launched a major anti-piracy campaign and operation and established a [[Puntland Maritime Police Force|maritime police force]] (PMPF).<ref name="PMPFEE"/>

According to a 2008 BBC report, the pirates can be divided into three main categories:
* Local [[Fisherman|fishermen]], considered the brains of the pirates' operations due to their skill and knowledge of the sea.
* Ex-militiamen, who previously fought for the local clan warlords, or ex-military from the former [[Siad Barre|Barre]] government used as the muscle.
* Technical experts, who operate equipment such as [[Global Positioning System|GPS devices]].<ref name="Pirates high life">{{cite news|last=Hunter|first=Robyn|title=Somali pirates living the high life|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7650415.stm|publisher=BBC|date=28 October 2008|access-date=20 November 2008}}</ref>

The closest [[Somali language|Somali]] term for 'pirate' is ''burcad badeed'', which means "ocean robber". However, the pirates themselves prefer to be called ''badaadinta badah'' or "saviours of the sea" (often translated as "coast guard").<ref>{{cite news| last = Bahadur| first = Jay | title = Somali pirate: 'We're not murderers... we just attack ships'| publisher = The Guardian (UK)| date = 24 May 2011| url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/24/a-pioneer-of-somali-piracy| location=London}}</ref>

=== Methodology ===
[[File:Captured boat in Baltiysk.jpg|thumb|right|A pirate [[skiff]] in [[Baltiysk]], Russia — captured by the Russian Navy]]
The methods used in a typical pirate attack have been analyzed.<ref name="bmp3">{{cite book|url=http://www.mschoa.org/docs/public-documents/bmp4-low-res_sept_5_2011.pdf|title=Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy|publisher=Witherby Seamanship International, London|date=August 2011|author=Consortium of International Organizations|isbn=978-1-85609-505-1|location=Livingston|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909191819/http://www.mschoa.org/docs/public-documents/bmp4-low-res_sept_5_2011.pdf|archive-date=9 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> They show that while attacks can be expected at any time, most occur during the day; often in the early hours.{{clarify|that's a contradiction - the early hours isn't during the day|date=August 2019}} They may involve two or more [[skiff]]s that can reach speeds of up to 25 knots. With the help of motherships that include captured fishing and [[merchant vessel]]s, the operating range of the skiffs has been increased far into the [[Indian Ocean]]. An attacked vessel is approached from quarter or stern; [[Rocket-propelled grenade|RPGs]] and small arms are used to intimidate the operator to slow down and allow boarding. Light ladders are brought along to climb aboard. Pirates then will try to get control of the bridge to take operational control of the vessel.<ref name=bmp3/> When pirates take control of the bridge, they do not seek to steal from the ship or to impose violence on any of the crew. Instead, they attempt to get into communications with the ship's bank via radio and telephone. Once they have reached communications with the bank, they hand the operation over to their negotiator, who is on land somewhere in or around Somalia. The negotiator often has a strong command of the English language and an understanding of finance. It is their job to win a large [[ransom]] money for the pirates from the ship's bank. While these negotiations go on, the pirates hold the crew hostage, maintaining as much order as possible. Oftentimes, these negotiations can take many hours and even several days. Once an agreement is reached between the negotiator and the ship's bank, a helicopter hovers over the ship and drops a package full of cash onto the ship's deck. When the pirates have retrieved their ransom money, they call back their mother ship to come pick them up. Once picked up from the ship, they flee the scene as quickly as possible, returning to the shores of Somalia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abbas |date=2011 |title=Piracy in Somalia |url=https://www.un.org/depts/los/nippon/unnff_programme_home/fellows_pages/fellows_papers/djama_1112_djibouti_PPT.pdf |website=UN}}</ref>

According to [[Sky News]], pirates often jettison their equipment in the sea before arrest, as this lowers the likelihood of a successful prosecution.<ref name="Iteuapnc">{{cite news|title=Inside The EU's Anti-Piracy Nerve Centre |url=http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16175400 |publisher=Sky News |date=23 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429110511/http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16175400 |archive-date=29 April 2012 }}</ref>

=== Weaponry and funding ===
The pirates obtain most of their weapons from [[Yemen]], but a significant number are sourced from [[Mogadishu]], Somalia's capital. Weapons dealers in the capital receive a deposit from a ''[[hawala]]'' dealer on behalf of the pirates and the weapons are then driven to [[Puntland]], where the pirates pay the balance.<ref name="Pirates high life"/> Various photographs of pirates in situ indicate that their weapons are predominantly [[AK-47]], [[AKM]], [[Type 56 assault rifle|Type 56]], [[RPK]], [[PK machine gun#PKM|PKM]], [[RPG-7]], and [[Tokarev pistol]]s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7791236.stm|title=Somali pirates killed 'legally'|work=BBC News |date=19 December 2008|access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Pflanz|first=Mike|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/4238924/Cargo-ship-escapes-Somali-pirates.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/4238924/Cargo-ship-escapes-Somali-pirates.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Cargo ship escapes Somali pirates|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=14 January 2009|access-date=27 March 2009|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Additionally, given the particular origin of their weaponry, they are likely to have [[hand grenade]]s such as the [[RGD-5]] or [[F1 grenade (Russia)|F1]].{{cn|date=May 2024}}

The funding of piracy operations is now structured in a [[stock exchange]], with investors buying and selling shares in upcoming attacks in a bourse in [[Harardhere]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2009/12/the-pirate-stock-exchange/|title=The Pirate Stock Exchange|author=Bruce Sterling|date=3 December 2009|publisher=Wired|access-date=1 March 2023}}</ref> Pirates say ransom money is paid in large-denomination US dollar bills. It is delivered to them in [[burlap]] sacks, which are either dropped from helicopters or cased in waterproof suitcases loaded onto tiny [[skiff]]s. To authenticate the [[banknote]]s, pirates use [[currency-counting machine]]s, the same technology used at foreign exchange bureaus worldwide. According to one pirate, these machines are, in turn, purchased from business connections in [[Dubai]], [[Djibouti]], and other areas.<ref name="Boomtowns">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/20/pirates-transform-village_n_145346.html Somali pirates transform villages into boom towns] ''HuffPost''</ref> Hostages seized by the pirates usually have to wait 45 days or more for the ships' owners to pay the ransom and secure their release.<ref name="Piratesgained">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7742761.stm |title=Pirates 'gained $150m this year' |work=BBC News |date=21 November 2008 |access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref>

In 2008, there were also allegations that the pirates received assistance from some members of the [[Somali diaspora]]. Somali expatriates, including some members of the Somali community in Canada, reportedly offered funds, equipment and information.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/552023 "Somali pirates get help from expats in Canada"], ''Toronto Star'', 11 December 2008</ref>

According to the head of the UN's counter-piracy division, Colonel John Steed, the [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]] group in 2011 increasingly sought to cooperate with the pirate gangs in the face of dwindling funds and resources for their own activities.<ref name="pirate links">{{cite news| url=https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE79J0G620111020?sp=true | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223205734/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE79J0G620111020?sp=true | url-status=dead | archive-date=23 December 2011 | work=Reuters| title=Shabaab-Somali pirate links growing: UN adviser | date=20 October 2011}}</ref> Steed, however, acknowledged that he had no definite proof of operational ties between the pirates and the Islamist militants. Detained pirates also indicated to [[UNODC]] officials that some measure of cooperation with Al-Shabaab militants was necessary, as they have increasingly launched maritime raids from areas in southern Somalia controlled by the insurgent outfit. Al-Shabaab members have also extorted the pirates, demanding protection money from them and forcing seized pirate gang leaders in Harardhere to hand over 20% of future ransom proceeds.<ref name="Prceuwsm">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/somalia-piracy-idUSLDE7650U320110706|title=Piracy ransom cash ends up with Somali militants|agency=Reuters Editorial|date=6 July 2011|access-date=20 May 2016}}</ref> It has been suggested that [[al-Qaeda]] have received funding from pirate operations. A maritime intelligence source told [[CBS News]] that it was "'inconceivable' to Western intelligence agencies that al Qaeda would not be getting some financial reward from the successful hijackings". They go on to express concern about this funding link being able to keep the group satisfied, as piracy gains more publicity and higher ransoms.<ref name="AQ Urges">{{cite news|title=Al Qaeda Urges Somalis To Attack Ships |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/al-qaeda-urges-somalis-to-attack-ships/ |publisher=CBS |date=16 April 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212105724/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-4949488-503543.html |archive-date=12 February 2011 }}</ref>

== Root causes ==

A combination of root causes can be attributed to the pervasive presence of piracy off the coast of Somalia including; geography, weak law enforcement and corruption as well as economic factors. Most of these drivers display considerable overlap just like they can be viewed as derivative effects of land based problems<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Moss |first1=Kelly |last2=Pigeon |first2=Maisie |title=Stable Seas: Western Indian Ocean |journal=Stable Seas |date=March 2022 |page=18 }}</ref> The following section breaks down some of the identified root causes for the pervasiveness of piracy in the region.

===Geography===
One of the most vital shipping routes of the world takes international trade across the [[Western Indian Ocean]] through the [[Bab el-Mandeb]] strait connecting the Red Sea with the [[Gulf of Aden]] making it the perfect strategic place for pirates to operate. Generally, pirate activities thrive in areas with high value maritime traffic.<ref name="Bueger & Edmunds"/> Thus, geography plays a significant role in making the coast of Somalia a lucrative place for pirates to hijack vessels.

In this context, the [[Gulf of Aden]] is one of the most lucrative places for piracy in the world, because of its close proximity to the main merchant shipping route.<ref name="Akar">{{cite journal |last1=Akar |first1=Çağlar |title=The Development of Piracy in the Horn of Africa |journal=Journal of Marine and Engineering Technology (JOINMET) |date=9 June 2022 |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=31-39 |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2440019 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> More than 20% of global trade passes through the Gulf of Aden.<ref name="EUNAVFOR">{{cite web |title=MARITIME SECURITY CENTRE – HORN OF AFRICA (MSCHOA) |url=https://eunavfor.eu/mschoa |website=EU Naval Force Operation ATALANTA |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> The region is characterized by a diverse geography including one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, the Bab-el Mandeb strait as well as wide-open ocean off the coast of Somalia.<ref name="EIA">{{cite news |title=The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic route for oil and natural gas shipments |url=https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=41073 |access-date=28 May 2024 |agency=U.S. Energy Information Administration |date=August 27, 2019}}</ref> The area had earlier been designated as a high risk area in 2010 during the peak of pirate attacks but this designation was removed again from 2023 as the level of attacks declined.<ref name="Larsen">{{cite news |last1=Larsen |first1=Jakob Paaske |title=Indian Ocean High Risk Area for piracy to be removed on 1 January |url=https://www.bimco.org/insights-and-information/safety-security-environment/20221216-hra-indian-ocean |access-date=28 May 2024 |publisher=BIMCO.com |date=December 16, 2022}}</ref><ref name="ICS Shipping">{{cite web |title=Shipping industry to remove the Indian Ocean High Risk Area |url=https://www.ics-shipping.org/press-release/shipping-industry-to-remove-the-indian-ocean-high-risk-area/ |website=International Chamber of Shipping |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="The Maritime Executive">{{cite news |title=Indian Ocean High Risk Designation to be Withdrawn at End of 2022 |url=https://maritime-executive.com/article/indian-ocean-high-risk-designation-to-be-withdrawn-at-end-of-2022 |access-date=28 May 2024 |publisher=The Maritime Executive |date=August 22, 2022}}</ref>

===Economic factors===
Given that the piracy in the area is a fundamentally profit-driven activity, economic factors also play a huge role in explaining the root causes. This is due to myriad factors such as socioeconomic factors, unemployment, a lack of viable economic alternatives to piracy,<ref name="Moss et al." /> and the emission of toxic waste by foreign companies causing the fishing industry as a source of income to crumble.<ref name="PolyMatter">{{cite web |title=How Somalia's Pirates Make Money |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZh0B8AYxac |website=YouTube.com | date=10 February 2019 |publisher=PolyMatter |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> In general, the [[economy of Somalia]] is classified as a least developed country, being dependent on agriculture and livestock which is challenged by the harsh climate and poor soil. Furthermore, as a result of civil unrest, the Somali economy was destroyed.<ref name="Karawita"/>

Piracy is often linked to insecurity on land and caused by lack of other opportunities to make a living.<ref name="Moss et al." /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Felbab-Brown |first1=Vanda |title=The not-so-jolly roger: Dealing with piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea. |journal=The Brookings Institution |date=2014 |issue=Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2014 |url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/02-foresight-piracy-somalia-felbab-brown-1.pdf |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="IMCA">{{cite web |title=Oceans Beyond Piracy Annual Report: The state of maritime piracy 2015 – assessing the economic and human cost |url=https://www.imca-int.com/information-notes/oceans-beyond-piracy-annual-report-the-state-of-maritime-piracy-2015-assessing-the-economic-and-human-cost/ |website=International Marine Contractors Association |publisher=IMCA |access-date=6 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="PolyMatter, 2022">{{cite web |title=Why This is the World's Pirate Capital |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMnJ24XG5Gc |website=YouTube.com | date=22 February 2022 |publisher=PolyMatter |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> This has also been the case in Somalia, where especially incomes from fishing have drastically declined. Therefore, piracy creates an alternative economic opportunity to improve the living conditions due to the possibility of striking a good ransom deal.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karawita |first1=Amali Kartika |title=Piracy in Somalia: An Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the International Community |journal=Jurnal Hubungan Internasional |date=2020 |page=23 |location=London School of Public Relations Jakarta}}</ref> In essence, elements of poverty, lack of education and unemployment are viewed as main drivers.<ref name="IMCA">{{cite web |title=Oceans Beyond Piracy Annual Report: The state of maritime piracy 2015 – assessing the economic and human cost |url=https://www.imca-int.com/information-notes/oceans-beyond-piracy-annual-report-the-state-of-maritime-piracy-2015-assessing-the-economic-and-human-cost/ |website=International Marine Contractors Association |publisher=IMCA |access-date=6 May 2016}}</ref > The combination of high unemployment and the decline in the possibility of making a living from fishing creates the incentives to make a profit from piracy which is often associated with large sums of money.<ref name="Karawita">{{cite journal |last1=Karawita |first1=Amali Kartika |title=Piracy in Somalia: An Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the International Community |url=https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.37855 |journal=Jurnal Hubungan Internasional |date=2020 |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=19–23 |doi=10.22146/jsp.37855 }}</ref><ref name="PolyMatter, 2022">{{cite web |title=Why This is the World's Pirate Capital |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMnJ24XG5Gc |website=YouTube.com | date=22 February 2022 |publisher=PolyMatter |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> In a country where poverty is rampant, piracy offers an alternative way to make a living, which attracts young Somali men.<ref name="Karawita" />

===Weak law enforcement and corruption===
Somalia was ranked the most corrupt country in the world in 2023.<ref name="Transparency International">{{cite web |title=Our work in Somalia - CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/somalia |website=Transparency International |date=30 January 2024 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref>
Corrupt actors can help facilitate the piracy activities by turning a blind eye to or providing means for the pirates to operate and thereby also taking share in the multimillion-dollar business.<ref name="Bueger & Edmunds">{{cite book | last1=Bueger | first1=Christian | last2=Edmunds | first2=Timothy | title=Understanding Maritime Security | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2024 | isbn=978-0-19-776714-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D7MCEQAAQBAJ | page=81}}</ref> This occurs as a result of Somalia being a failed state leading to weak law enforcement and an ineffective government.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karawita |first1=Amali Kartika |title=Piracy in Somalia: An Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the International Community |journal=Jurnal Hubungan Internasional |date=2020 |volume=Tahun XIII, No.1 |page=24}}</ref> The access to information regarding the level of security on board of the vessels as well as the general ship information is of high value to the pirates making bribery of port and government officials essential.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karawita |first1=Amali Kartika |title=Piracy in Somalia: An Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the International Community |journal=Jurnal Hubungan Internasional |date=2020 |volume=Tahun XIII, No.1 |page=25 }}</ref> Furthermore, according to Bueger & Edmunds, studies of piracy operations in Somalia show that laundering of profits, protecting from other criminals and supplying and recruitment are among the elements pirates depend on<ref name="Bueger & Edmunds"/> 
The weak law enforcement occurs as a result of the last decades instability and civil unrest. Moreover, the general lawlessness which has pervaded the region can be seen as a result of  the absence of a central authority. The inability to control the maritime territory and perform security tasks left the 3,330 km coastline of Somalia unpatrolled, giving rise to several forms of blue crimes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karawita |first1=Amali Kartika |title=Piracy in Somalia: An Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the International Community |journal=Jurnal Hubungan Internasional |date=2020 |volume=Tahun XIII, No.1 |page=22}}</ref> Furthermore, the lack of patrolling and thereby control over the Somali territorial waters entailed the illegal fishing and plundering of Somalis fish stocks by foreign fishing ships.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karawati |first1=Amali Kartika |title=Piracy in Somalia: An Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the International Community |journal=Jurnal Hubungan Internasional |date=2020 |volume=Tahun XIII, No.1 }}</ref> The insufficient and absent response from the authorities to both illegal fishing by foreign ships and the dumping of toxic waste forced the Somali fishermen to take up arms against the foreign ships. From here piracy evolved from charging smaller amounts from illegal trawlers as a way of concealing their illegal activities to more extensive piracy including hostage taking.

Overall, the weak law enforcement capacity, ineffective government and level of corruption all contribute to the enabling of piracy activities in the region.

===Cultural acceptability and legitimation===
In continuation of the actions from the local coastal communities and fishermen against the illegal fishing by foreign fishers the element of cultural acceptability and legitimation also plays a significant role. The estimated cost of illegal fishing has been calculated by the UN at more than 300 $ for Somalia each year.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karawita |first1=Amali Kartika |title=Piracy in Somalia: An Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the International Community |journal=Jurnal Hubungan Internasional |date=2020 |volume=Tahun XIII, No.1 |page=22}}</ref> The cultural acceptability of piracy in Somali coastal communities stems from the perception of the actions taken against the external actors in the Somali water as legitimate. Since the illegal fishing and pollution crimes by foreign ships has increased the economic hardship and destroyed the livelihood of fishermen, this justified the actions against the foreign ships committed by the local fishermen<ref name="Bueger & Edmunds"/>

== Effects and perceptions ==
[[File:Piracy Decline LRIT.png|thumb|400px|right|Time series of maritime traffic crossing the Indian Ocean showing the effect of piracy and its progressive decline in re-routing ships. Each sub-plot shows 6-month colour-coded trips, red southbound and green northbound, using Long Range Identification and Tracking [[Long-range identification and tracking (ships)|(LRIT)]] historical data. Operational authorities requested an increase of LRIT reporting frequency from ships in 2009 and 2010 in order to better track them remotely in the [[Piracy around the Horn of Africa|High Risk Area]]. The increase of tracking points can be erroneously perceived as an apparently higher volume of traffic with respect to other periods.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Vespe|first1=Michele|last2=Greidanus|first2=Harm|last3=Alvarez|first3=Marlene Alvarez|title=The declining impact of piracy on maritime transport in the Indian Ocean: Statistical analysis of 5-year vessel tracking data|journal=Marine Policy|date=1 September 2015|volume=59|pages=9–15|doi=10.1016/j.marpol.2015.04.018|doi-access=free|bibcode=2015MarPo..59....9V }}</ref>]]

=== Costs ===
Significant negative effects of piracy have been reported.<ref name="Cweattcop">{{cite web|last=Venetia Archer|first=Robert Young Pelton|title=Can We Ever Assess the True Cost of Piracy?|url=http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/2867/Can_We_Ever_Assess_the_True_Cost_of_Piracy_|publisher=Somalia Report|access-date=21 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602064556/http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/2867/Can_We_Ever_Assess_the_True_Cost_of_Piracy_|archive-date=2 June 2012}}</ref> In 2005, a liquefied petroleum tanker, '''MS ''Feisty Gas''''', was hijacked and ransomed for $315,000 after being held for about two weeks.<ref name="Mcknight 2012 42">{{cite book|last=Mcknight|first=Terry|title=Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 Off Somalia|year=2012|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis|page=42|author2=Michael Hirsh }}</ref> In 2009, pirate income derived from ransoms was estimated at 42.1 million euros (about $58 million),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/0,1518,741573,00.html|author=Utler, Simone|title=Alleine unter Piraten|language=de|work=[[Der Spiegel]]|date=25 January 2011|access-date=25 January 2011}}</ref> rising to $238 million in 2010.<ref name=eyeft>{{cite web|url=http://www.eyefortransport.com/content/maritime-piracy-costs-global-community-12-billion-year|author=Gill, Sharon|title=Maritime Piracy Costs Global Community 12 Billion a Year.|date=20 January 2011|access-date=27 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124074536/http://www.eyefortransport.com/content/maritime-piracy-costs-global-community-12-billion-year|archive-date=24 January 2011}}</ref> The average ransom had risen to $5.4 million in 2010, up from around $150,000 in 2005.<ref name="Ransom cash">{{cite news|title=Piracy ransom cash ends up with Somali militants|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7650C420110706|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713150456/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7650C420110706|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2011|work=Reuters| date=6 July 2011}}</ref> However, by 2011, pirate ransom income dropped to $160 million, a downward trend which has been attributed to intensified counter-piracy efforts.<ref name="Cweattcop"/>

Besides the actual cost of paying ransoms, various attempts have been made at gauging indirect costs stemming from the piracy; especially those reportedly incurred over the course of anti-piracy initiatives.<ref name="Cweattcop"/><ref name="piracycostecon">Tim Besley, et al. [http://www.trfetzer.com/?p=36 ''One Kind of Lawlessness: Estimating the Welfare Cost of Somali Piracy''], ''[[Besley et al.]]'', June 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012</ref>

During the height of the piracy phenomenon in 2008, local residents complained that the presence of so many armed men made them feel insecure and that their free spending ways caused wild fluctuations in the local [[exchange rate]]. Others faulted them for excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and [[khat]].<ref name="Pirates high life"/>

A 2010 report suggested that piracy off the coast of Somalia led to a decrease of revenue for [[Egypt]] as fewer ships use the [[Suez Canal]] (estimated loss of about $642 million), impeded trade with neighboring countries, and negatively impacted tourism and fishing in the [[Seychelles]].<ref name=eyeft/><ref name="piracycost">Anna Bowden, et al. [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120629210819/http://oceansbeyondpiracy.org/documents/The_Economic_Cost_of_Piracy_Full_Report.pdf ''The Economic Cost of Maritime Piracy''], p. 13. ''[[One Earth Future]]'', December 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2011</ref> According to Sky News, around 50% of the world's containers passed through the Horn of Africa coastline as of 2012. The [[European Union Naval Force]] (EU NAVFOR) has a yearly budget of over 8 million Euros earmarked for patrolling the {{convert|8.3|e6km2|sqmi|abbr=off}}.<ref name="Iteuapnc"/>

A 2011 report by Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) suggested that the indirect costs of piracy were much higher and estimated to be between $6.6 to $6.9 billion, as they also included insurance, naval support, legal proceedings, re-routing of slower ships, and individual protective steps taken by ship-owners.<ref name="OBP2011">{{cite web|url=http://oceansbeyondpiracy.org/sites/default/files/attachments/View%20Full%20Report_3.pdf|title=The Economic Cost of Somali Piracy 2011|first=Bowden|last=Anna|date=11 January 2024 |publisher=Oceans Beyond Piracy}}</ref><ref name="Cweattcop"/><ref name=eyeft/><ref name="Guardian Luck">{{cite news|title=Outgunned Somali pirates can hardly believe their luck|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/08/outgunned-somali-pirates-luck?newsfeed=true|newspaper=The Guardian | location=London|first=Nick|last=Hopkins|date=8 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="Pirate Raids">{{cite news|title=Private navy planned to counter pirate raids|url=http://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/private-navy-planned-to-counter-pirate-raids|newspaper=The National}}</ref>

Another report from 2011 published by the consultancy firm Geopolicity Inc. investigated the causes and consequences of international piracy, with a particular focus on such activity off the coast of Somalia. The paper asserted that what began as an attempt in the mid-1990s by Somali fishermen to protect their territorial waters has extended far beyond their seaboard and grown into an emerging market in its own right. Due to potentially substantial financial rewards, the report hypothesized that the number of new pirates could swell by 400 persons annually, that pirate ransom income could in turn rise to $400 million per year by 2015, and that piracy costs as a whole could increase to $15 billion over the same period.<ref name=piracy>{{cite news|last=Owen|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/out-of-control-piracy-set-to-cost-world-1639bn-by-2015-2269013.html|title=The Economics of Piracy|work=The Independent|date=17 April 2011|location=London}}</ref>

In 2011 alone, it has been estimated that MAERSK, the world's largest shipping company, incurred costs upwards of $200 million. To help combat this, the company introduced a 'piracy risk surcharge', ranging from $110-$170 per 40&nbsp;ft equivalent unit.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jones|first=Stephanie|date=2014-01-01|title=Maritime piracy and the cost of world trade*|url=https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-02-2013-0008|journal=Competitiveness Review|volume=24|issue=3|pages=158–170|doi=10.1108/CR-02-2013-0008|issn=1059-5422}}</ref>

According to a 2012 investigative piece by the Somalia Report, the OBP paper and other similar reports that attempt to calibrate the global cost of piracy produce inaccurate estimates based on a variety of factors. Most saliently, instead of comparing the actual costs of piracy with the considerable benefits derived from the phenomenon by the maritime industry and local parties capitalizing on capacity-building initiatives, the OBP paper conflated the alleged piracy costs with the large premiums made by insurance companies and lumped them together with governmental and societal costs. The report also exaggerated the impact that piracy has had on the shipping sector, an industry which has grown steadily in size from 25,000 billion tonnes/miles to 35,000 billion tonnes/miles since the rise of Indian Ocean piracy in 2005. Moreover, the global costs of piracy reportedly represent a small fraction of total maritime shipping expenses and are significantly lower than more routine costs, such as those brought on by port theft, bad weather conditions or fuel-related issues. In the United States alone, the National Cargo Security Council estimated that between $10–$15 billion were stolen from ports in 2003, a figure several times higher than the projected global cost of piracy. Additionally, while the OBP paper alleged that pirate activity has had a significantly negative impact on regional economies, particularly the Kenyan tourism industry, tourist-derived revenue in Kenya rose by 32% in 2011. According to the Somalia Report investigation, the OBP paper also did not factor into its calculations the overall decline in successful pirate attacks beginning in the second half of 2011, a downward trend largely brought about by the increasing use of armed guards.<ref name="OBP2011"/><ref name="Cweattcop"/> According to Admiral [[Terence E. McKnight]], ransom demands and payments have risen exponentially and the financers and pirates decided they are willing to wait as long as it takes to receive "high seven-figure payouts".<ref name="Mcknight 2012 42"/>

=== Benefits ===
Some benefits from the piracy have also been noted. In the earlier years of the phenomenon in 2008, it was reported that many local residents in pirate hubs such as [[Harardhere]] appreciated the rejuvenating effect that the pirates' on-shore spending and restocking had on their small towns, a presence which often provided jobs and opportunity when there were comparatively fewer. Entire hamlets were in the process reportedly transformed into [[boomtown]]s, with local shop owners and other residents using their gains to purchase items such as [[Electrical generator|generators]] for uninterrupted electricity.<ref name="Boomtowns"/> However, the election of a new administration in 2009 in the northeastern [[Puntland]] region saw a sharp decrease in pirate operations, as the provincial authorities launched a comprehensive anti-piracy campaign and established an official [[Puntland Maritime Police Force|maritime police force]] (PMPF). Since 2010, pirates have mainly operated from the Galmudug region to the south. According to the Somalia Report, the significant infrastructural development evident in Puntland's urban centers has also mainly come from a combination of government development programs, internal investment by local residents returning to their home regions following the civil war in the south, and especially [[remittance]] funds sent by the sizable Somali diaspora. The latter contributions have been estimated at $1.3–$2 billion a year, exponentially dwarfing pirate ransom proceeds, which total only a few million dollars annually and are difficult to track in terms of spending.<ref name="Srpppp">{{cite web|last=Young Pelton|first=Robert|title=Plunder, Politics, Presumption and Puntland|url=http://somaliareport.com/index.php/post/2530/Plunder_Politics_Presumption_and_Puntland|publisher=Somalia Report|access-date=31 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117223911/http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/2530/Plunder_Politics_Presumption_and_Puntland|archive-date=17 January 2012}}</ref>

Additionally, impoverished fishermen in Kenya's [[Malindi]] area in the southeastern [[African Great Lakes]] region have reported their largest catches in 40 years, catching hundreds of kilos of fish and earning 50 times the average daily wage as a result. They attribute the recent abundance and variety of marine stock to the pirates scaring away foreign fishing trawlers, which have for decades deprived local [[dhow]]s of a livelihood. According to marine biologists, indicators are that the local [[fishery]] is recovering because of the lack of commercial-scale fishing.<ref name="Kfcsp">{{cite web|title=Kenyan Fishermen Celebrate Somali Pirates|work=A24Media|url=http://a24media.com/downloads/pdf/scripts/english/kenyan_fishermen_celebrate_somali_pirates.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025135024/http://a24media.com/downloads/pdf/scripts/english/kenyan_fishermen_celebrate_somali_pirates.pdf|archive-date=25 October 2010}}</ref>

Piracy off the coast of Somalia also appears to have a positive impact on the problem of overfishing in Somali waters by foreign vessels. A comparison has been made with the situation in [[Tanzania]] further to the south, which is also affected by fishing by foreign ships and generally lacks the means to effectively protect and regulate its territorial waters. There, catches have dropped to dramatically low levels, whereas in Somalia they have risen back to more acceptable levels since the beginning of the piracy.<ref>{{cite video|people=Georges Pernoud|date=21 May 2010|title=Dans les îles Eparses|url=http://thalassa.france3.fr/|language=fr|publisher=[[Thalassa (TV series)|Thalassa (television)]]|access-date=23 May 2010|time=51'48", 1:00:17|archive-date=25 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225073156/http://thalassa.france3.fr/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Casualties ===
Of the 4,185 seafarers whose ships had been attacked by the pirates and the 1,090 who were held hostage in 2010, a third were reportedly abused. Some captives have also indicated that they were used as human shields for pirate attacks while being held hostage.<ref name=obp>{{cite web|url=http://oneearthfuture.org/images/imagefiles/HCOP%20Press%20Release.pdf |author=Ocean Beyond Piracy |title=Human Cost of Somali Piracy |date=2 June 2011 |access-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926072943/http://oneearthfuture.org/images/imagefiles/HCOP%20Press%20Release.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2011 }}</ref>

According to Reuters, of the 3,500 captured during a four-year period, 62 died. The causes of death included suicide and malnutrition,<ref name=reu>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/somalia-piracy-seafarers-idUSLDE75J1KA20110620 | author=Jonathan Saul |title=Deaths of Seafarers in Somali Pirate Attacks Soar | work=Reuters| date=20 June 2011 |access-date=7 July 2011}}</ref> with 25 of the deaths attributed to murder according to [[International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners|Intercargo]].<ref name="Hostkprbm"/> In some cases, the captives have also reported being tortured.<ref name="Torture detailed">{{cite news|title=Torture by Somali pirates detailed at Va. trial|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20120420/NEWS/120429953/1052|agency=Associated Press|date=20 April 2012}}</ref> Many seafarers are left traumatized after release.<ref name=reu/>

According to many interviewed maritime security firms, ship owner groups, lawyers and insurance companies, fear of pirate attacks has increased the likelihood of violent encounters at sea, as untrained or overeager vessel guards have resorted to shooting indiscriminately without first properly assessing the actual threat level. In the process, they have killed both pirates and sometimes innocent fishermen, as well as jeopardizing the reputation of private maritime security firms with their reckless gun use. Since many of the new maritime security companies that have emerged often also enlist the services of off-duty policemen and former soldiers who saw combat in [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]], worries of a "[[Nisour Square massacre|Blackwater]] out in the Indian Ocean" have only intensified.<ref name="Hostkprbm">{{cite web|url=http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2012/may/24028/shooting_to_kill_pirates_risks_blackwater_moment.aspx|title=Shooting to Kill Pirates Risks Blackwater Moment|access-date=20 May 2016}}</ref>

=== Profiteers ===
According to the [[German Institute for Economic Research]] (DIW), a veritable industry of profiteers has also risen around the piracy. [[Insurance]] companies, in particular, have profited from the pirate attacks, as insurance premiums have increased significantly. DIW reports that, in order to keep premiums high, insurance firms have not demanded that ship owners take security precautions that would make hijackings more difficult. For their part, shipping companies often ignore naval guidelines on how best to prevent pirate attacks in order to cut down on costs. In addition, security contractors and the arms industry have profited from the phenomenon.<ref name="Gerforpol"/>

== Sovereignty and environmental protection ==
[[File:Faina highjacked.jpg|thumb|The crew of the merchant vessel [[MV Faina|''Faina'']] stand on the deck after a U.S. Navy request to check on their health and welfare. The Belize-flagged cargo ship owned and operated by Kaalbye Shipping, Ukraine, was seized by pirates 25 September 2008 and forced to proceed to anchorage off the Somali coast. The ship was carrying a cargo of Ukrainian [[T-72]] tanks and related military equipment.]]

The former UN envoy for Somalia, [[Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah]], has stated that "because there is no (effective) government, there is … much irregular fishing from European and Asian countries,"<ref name="MiddleEast"/> and that the UN has reliable information that European and Asian companies are dumping [[Toxic waste|toxic]] and [[Radioactive waste|nuclear waste]] off the Somali coastline.<ref name =aljazeera11Oct2008/> However, he stresses that "no government has endorsed this act, and that private companies and individuals acting alone are responsible".<ref name =aljazeera11Oct2008/> In addition, Ould-Abdallah told the press that he approached several international [[NGO]]s, such as [[Global Witness]], to trace the illicit fishing and waste-dumping. He added that he believes the toxic waste dumping is "a disaster off the Somali coast, a disaster (for) the Somali environment, the Somali population", and that what he terms "this illegal fishing, illegal dumping of waste" helps fuel the civil war in Somalia since the illegal foreign fishermen pay off corrupt local officials or warlords for protection or to secure counterfeit licenses.<ref name="MiddleEast"/> Ould-Abdallah noted that piracy will not prevent waste dumping:

{{blockquote|I am convinced there is dumping of solid waste, chemicals and probably nuclear (waste).... There is no government (control) and there are few people with high moral ground[…] The intentions of these pirates are not concerned with protecting their environment. What is ultimately needed is a functioning, effective government that will get its act together and take control of its affairs.|Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy for Somalia<ref name =aljazeera11Oct2008/>}}

Somali pirates which captured [[MV Faina|MV ''Faina'']], a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and military hardware, accused European firms of dumping toxic waste off the Somali coast and declared that the $8m ransom for the return of the ship will go towards cleaning up the waste. The ransom demand is a means of "reacting to the toxic waste that has been continually dumped on the shores of our country for nearly 20 years", Januna Ali Jama, a spokesman for the pirates said. "The Somali coastline has been destroyed, and we believe this money is nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."<ref name =aljazeera11Oct2008/>

Former [[African Union]] [[Chairperson of the African Union|chairman]] and [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libyan president]] [[Muammar Gaddafi|Muammar al-Gaddafi]] argued that piracy; "[is] a response to greedy Western nations, who invade and exploit Somalia's water resources illegally...[it] is not a piracy, it is self defence."<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 5, 2009 |title=Gaddafi defends Somali pirates |work=Nation |url=https://nation.africa/kenya/news/africa/1066-525348-13rtrgiz/index.html |access-date=July 9, 2023}}</ref>

Pirate leader Sugule Ali said their motive was "to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters … We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits [to be] those who illegally fish and dump in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas." According to [[Johann Hari]], the independent Somali news-site [[WardherNews]] found that 70 percent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence of the country's territorial waters".<ref name="huffingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/you-are-being-lied-to-abo_b_155147.html|title=Johann Hari: You Are Being Lied to About Pirates|work=HuffPost|access-date=27 March 2011|date=13 April 2009}}</ref>

=== Waste dumping ===
{{See also|Toxic waste dumping by the 'Ndrangheta}}
Following the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004]], allegations have emerged that after the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in late 1991, Somalia's long, remote shoreline was used as a dump site for the disposal of toxic waste. The huge waves which battered northern Somalia after the tsunami are believed to have stirred up tonnes of nuclear and toxic waste that was illegally dumped in Somali waters by several European firms – front companies created by the [[Italian mafia]].<ref name="Clayton"/> The [[European Green Party]] followed up these revelations by presenting before the press and the [[European Parliament]] in [[Strasbourg]] copies of contracts signed by two European companies—the Italian Swiss firm, Achair Partners, and an Italian waste broker, Progresso—and representatives of the warlords then in power, to accept 10 million tonnes of toxic waste in exchange for $80 million (then about £60 million). According to a report by the [[United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP) assessment mission, there are far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal hemorrhages and unusual skin infections among many inhabitants of the areas around the northeastern towns of [[Hobyo|Hobbio]] and [[Benadir]] on the Indian Ocean coast. UNEP continues that the current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region.<ref name="Clayton">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article418665.ece|title=Somalia's secret dumps of toxic waste washed ashore by tsunami|work=The Times|access-date=25 February 2009|location=London|date=4 March 2005|first=Jonathan|last=Clayton}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>It is estimated{{by whom|date=October 2010}} that it costs around $2.50 per ton to illegally dump toxic waste in Somali waters as opposed to $250 per ton for legal disposal in Europe.</ref>

{{blockquote|In 1992, reports ran in the European press of "unnamed European firms" contracting with local warlords to dump toxic waste both in Somalia and off Somalia's shores. The United Nations Environment Program was called in to investigate, and the Italian parliament issued a report later in the decade. Several European "firms" — really front companies created by the [['Ndrangheta|Italian mafia]] — contracted with local [[Somali warlords]] to ship hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic industrial waste from Europe to Somalia.|Troy S. Thomas, ''Warlords rising: confronting violent non-state actors''<ref>Troy S. Thomas, Stephen D. Kiser, William D. Casebeer (2005). ''Warlords rising: confronting violent non-state actors''. Lexington Books. p.127. {{ISBN|0-7391-1190-6}}</ref>}}

Under Article 9(1)(d) of the [[Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal]], it is illegal for "any transboundary movement of hazardous wastes or other wastes: that results in deliberate disposal (e.g. dumping) of hazardous wastes or other wastes in contravention of this Convention and of general principles of international law".<ref>[http://www.basel.int/text/con-e-rev.pdf ''Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal'', 22 March 1989] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124051608/http://www.basel.int/text/con-e-rev.pdf |date=24 January 2009 }}</ref>

According to [[Nick Nuttall]] of the United Nations Environmental Programme, "Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting in the early 1990s, and continuing through the civil war there", and "European companies found it to be very cheap to get rid of the waste, costing as little as $2.50 a tonne, where waste disposal costs in Europe are closer to $1000 per tonne."<ref name =aljazeera11Oct2008>{{cite web|last=Abdullahi|first=Najad|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2008/10/2008109174223218644.html|title=Toxic waste' behind Somali piracy'|publisher=English.aljazeera.net|date=11 October 2008|access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref><ref name=UNEP16Mar05>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) [http://www.unep.org/cpi/briefs/Brief16Mar05.doc The Environment in the News, 16 Mar 2005] {{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090118001826/http%3A//www.unep.org/cpi/briefs/Brief16Mar05.doc |date=18 January 2009 }}</ref>

=== Illegal fishing ===
At the same time, foreign trawlers began illegally fishing Somalia's seas, with an estimated $300 million of [[tuna]], [[shrimp]], and [[lobster]] being taken each year, depleting stocks previously available to local fishermen. Through interception with speedboats, Somali fishermen tried to either dissuade the dumpers and trawlers or levy a "tax" on them as compensation, as Segule Ali's previously mentioned quote notes. Peter Lehr, a Somalia piracy expert at the [[University of St. Andrews]], says "It's almost like a resource swap", Somalis collect up to $100 million a year from pirate ransoms off their coasts and the Europeans and Asians poach around $300 million a year in fish from Somali waters.<ref name="Hari">{{cite news|title= You are being lied to about pirates|work=[[The Independent]]|date= 5 January 2009| access-date=10 April 2009 | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-you-are-being-lied-to-about-pirates-1225817.html|location=London}}</ref><ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-somalia-pirates_salopek1oct10,0,6155016.story "Off the lawless coast of Somalia, questions of who is pirating who."], ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', 10 October 2008</ref> The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) issued a report in 2005 stating that, between 2003 and 2004, Somalia lost about $100 million in revenue due to illegal [[tuna]] and [[shrimp]] fishing in the country's [[exclusive economic zone]] by foreign trawlers.<ref name="autogenerated2009">{{Citation|author=Dagne,Ted|title=Somalia: Conditions and Prospects for Lasting Peace|year=2009|ref=CRS}}</ref>

In an effort to curb illegal fishing the [[Federal Government of Somalia]] introduced new legislation in December 2014 which banned bottom trawling by domestic and foreign vessels, made all prior licenses null and void, and reserved the first 24&nbsp;nm of Somali waters for Somali fishers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/fisheries-law-of-the-federal-republic-of-somalia-review-of-2016-lex-faoc171668/|title=Fisheries law of the Federal Republic of Somalia (Review of 2016).|website=ecolex.org|access-date=2020-03-14}}</ref> Foreign fishing vessels caught an estimate 92,500 mt of fish in 2014, almost twice that caught by the Somali domestic fleet. Iran (48%) and Yemen (31%) accounted for the vast majority of foreign fish catch in the most recent year of analysis.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Glaser|first1=Sarah M.|last2=Roberts|first2=Paige M.|last3=Hurlburt|first3=Kaija J.|year=2019|title=Foreign Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in Somali Waters Perpetuates Conflict|journal=Frontiers in Marine Science|language=en|volume=6|doi=10.3389/fmars.2019.00704|issn=2296-7745|doi-access=free}}</ref>

According to Roger Middleton of [[Chatham House]], "The problem of [[overfishing]] and illegal fishing in Somali waters is a very serious one, and does affect the livelihoods of people inside Somalia […] the dumping of toxic waste on Somalia's shores is a very serious issue, which will continue to affect people in Somalia long after the war has ended, and piracy is resolved".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/112/article_3481.asp|title=RFI – US vessel evades capture but pirates take more|publisher=Radio France Internationale|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref> To lure fish to their traps, foreign trawlers reportedly also use fishing equipment under prohibition such as nets with very small mesh sizes and sophisticated underwater lighting systems.<ref name="MiddleEast">{{cite web|url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27114|title=UN envoy decries waste dumping off Somalia|publisher=Middle-east-online.com|date=26 July 2008|access-date=27 March 2011|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215001253/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27114|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Under Article 56(1)(b)(iii) of the [[Law of the Sea Convention]]:<blockquote>"In the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State has jurisdiction as provided for in the relevant provisions of this Convention with regard to the protection and preservation of the marine environment".</blockquote>
Article 57 of the Convention in turn outlines the limit of that jurisdiction:<blockquote>"The exclusive economic zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf|title=''United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea'', 10 December 1982|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref></blockquote>

According to Amedeo Policante, a researcher from Goldsmiths College, University of London: "The devastating effect of these types of corporate-led form of capital accumulation cannot be overstated in a region where, according to the most recent reports of the UNEP, over 30 million people are dependent on maritime and coastal resources for their daily livelihoods. Nevertheless, there was little or no international will to insist on the implementation of the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea, which banish both over-fishing and toxic dumping in oceanic waters. This form of illegality – despite the environmental disruption and the high cost in human life it implied – was not perceived as an existential threat by states and it was therefore left unchecked. Only when piracy appeared in the region the lack of effective sovereign control over the Gulf of Aden was problematized".<ref>{{cite journal|title= The new pirate wars: the world market as imperial formation| doi=10.1080/23269995.2013.804760|volume=3|journal=Global Discourse|pages=52–71|year = 2013|last1 = Policante|first1 = Amedeo}}</ref>

== Anti-piracy measures ==
{{Main|Anti-piracy measures in Somalia}}

[[File:Anti piracy operations by INS Tabar, in the Gulf of Aden on November 18, 2008.jpg|thumb|Anti piracy operations by Indian Navy's [[INS Tabar]], in the Gulf of Aden on 18 November 2008]]

As of 2013, four international naval task forces operated in the region, with numerous national vessels and task forces entering and leaving the region, engaging in counter-piracy operations for various lengths of time. The three international task forces which compose the bulk of counter-piracy operations are [[Combined Task Force 150]] (whose overarching mission is [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa|Operation Enduring Freedom]]), [[CTF 151|Combined Task Force 151]] (which was set up in 2009 specifically to run counter-piracy operations),<ref>{{cite web|author=Commander, Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=41687 |title=New Counter-Piracy Task Force Established |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref> the EU naval task force operating under [[Operation Atalanta]] and the SADC naval task force operating under Operation Copper.<ref name="operation copper">{{cite web|url=https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/South-Africas-Engagement-in-CounterPiracy-2014-11-08|title=South Africa's Engagement in Counter-Piracy|publisher=The Maritime Executive|date=8 November 2014|access-date=8 November 2014}}</ref> All counter-piracy operations are coordinated through a monthly planning conference called [[Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE)]].<ref name="SHADE">{{cite web|url=http://www.eunavfor.eu/2009/10/8th-shade-meeting-sees-largest-international-participation-so-far |title=Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) |publisher=Eunavfor.eu |access-date=27 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221092500/http://www.eunavfor.eu/2009/10/8th-shade-meeting-sees-largest-international-participation-so-far/ |archive-date=21 February 2011 }}</ref> Originally having representatives only from NATO, the EU, and the [[Combined Maritime Forces]] (CMF) HQ in Bahrain, it now regularly attracts representatives from over 20 countries.

Between 2009 and 2010, the government of the autonomous [[Puntland]] region in northeastern Somalia enacted a number of reforms and pre-emptive measures as a part of its officially declared anti-piracy campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puntland-gov.net/viewnews.asp?nwtype=PR&nid=PRPR202231312104753706 |title=Somalia: Puntland Government Continues Anti-Piracy Campaign, Rejects Monitoring Group Accusations |publisher=Puntland-gov.net |access-date=27 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724022457/http://www.puntland-gov.net/viewnews.asp?nwtype=PR&nid=PRPR202231312104753706 |archive-date=24 July 2011 }}</ref> In May 2010, construction also began on a new naval base in the town of Bandar Siyada, located 25&nbsp;km west of [[Bosaso]], the commercial capital of Puntland.<ref name="Horseed">{{cite web |url=http://horseedmedia.net/2010/05/somalia-puntland-to-start-construction-of-new-navy-base/ |title=Somalia: Puntland to start construction of new Navy base |publisher=Horseedmedia.net |access-date=27 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603030323/http://horseedmedia.net/2010/05/somalia-puntland-to-start-construction-of-new-navy-base/ |archive-date=3 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> These numerous security measures appear to have borne fruit, as many pirates were apprehended in 2010, including a prominent leader.<ref name="Abcpulas">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=10697130|title=Pirate on US wanted list arrested in Somalia |publisher=ABC News|date=20 May 2010|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref> Puntland's security forces also reportedly managed to force out the pirate gangs from their traditional safe havens such as Eyl and Gar'ad,<ref name="PPDGA">{{cite web|url=http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Puntland_president_delineates_government_achievement.shtml |title=Puntland president delineates government achievement |publisher=Garoweonline.com |date=9 January 2010 |access-date=27 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514132210/http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Puntland_president_delineates_government_achievement.shtml |archive-date=14 May 2011 }}</ref> with the pirates now primarily operating from [[Hobyo]], El Danaan and Harardhere in the neighboring [[Galmudug]] region.<ref name="PPDGA2">{{cite web |url=http://kirk.senate.gov/pdfs/KirkReportfinal2.pdf |title=Microsoft Word – KirkReportfinal.docx |access-date=17 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117191352/http://kirk.senate.gov/pdfs/KirkReportfinal2.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2011}}</ref>

Government officials from the [[Galmudug]] administration in the north-central [[Hobyo]] district have also reportedly attempted to use pirate gangs as a bulwark against Islamist insurgents from southern Somalia's conflict zones;<ref name="jgtle">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/world/africa/02pirates.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th |title=In Somali Civil War, Both Sides Embrace Pirates |work=The New York Times |date= 1 September 2010|access-date=27 March 2011 |first=Jeffrey |last=Gettleman}}</ref> other pirates are alleged to have reached agreements of their own with the Islamist groups, although a senior commander from the [[Hizbul Islam]] militia vowed to eradicate piracy by imposing [[sharia law]] when his group briefly took control of Harardhere in May 2010 and drove out the local pirates.<ref name="jgtle"/><ref name="Sivteppfws">{{cite web|last=Haji |first=Mustafa |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j0OwOfeiTIzFFb3Vb2e8dxaI5qHA |title=Somali Islamists vow to end piracy, pirates flee with ships |date=2 May 2010 |access-date=27 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223194103/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j0OwOfeiTIzFFb3Vb2e8dxaI5qHA |archive-date=23 February 2014 }}</ref>

By the first half of 2010, these increased policing efforts by Somali government authorities on land along with international naval vessels at sea reportedly contributed to a drop in pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden from 86 a year prior to 33, forcing pirates to shift attention to other areas such as the Somali Basin and the wider Indian Ocean.<ref name="Abcpulas"/><ref name="World pirate attacks drop 18%">{{cite news|url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/world-pirate-attacks-drop-18-20100715-10cld.html|title=World pirate attacks drop 18%|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=15 July 2010|access-date=27 March 2011|first=Eileen|last=Ng}}</ref><ref name="Spfawp">{{cite web|url=http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Puntland_forces_arrest_wanted_pirates_in_Garowe.shtml |title=Somalia: Puntland forces arrest wanted pirates in Garowe |publisher=Garoweonline.com |date=18 May 2010 |access-date=27 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521041934/http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Puntland_forces_arrest_wanted_pirates_in_Garowe.shtml |archive-date=21 May 2010}}</ref>

The government of [[Somaliland]] has adopted stringent anti-piracy measures, arresting and imprisoning pirates forced to make port in [[Berbera]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-20/world/somaliland.pirates.prison_1_somali-waters-pirate-vessel-somaliland?_s=PM:WORLD |publisher=CNN |date=20 April 2011 |access-date=2 August 2011 |title=Life inside Somaliland's pirate prison |first=Jane |last=Ferguson |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520033508/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-20/world/somaliland.pirates.prison_1_somali-waters-pirate-vessel-somaliland?_s=PM%3AWORLD |archive-date=20 May 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Prevent Piracy">{{cite news|title=Somaliland coast guard tries to prevent piracy|url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/04/ap-piracy-somaliland-coast-guard-040411/|newspaper=Marine Corps|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513193130/http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/04/ap-piracy-somaliland-coast-guard-040411/|archive-date=13 May 2013}}</ref>

In addition to naval patrolling and marine capacity building, the shipping industry implemented Best Management Practices (BMP) in the [[Piracy High Risk Area]] (HRA), a maritime area bounded by the [[Suez]] and the [[Strait of Hormuz]].

The Chinese [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] began participation in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden/Horn of Africa, off the Somalian coast, in December 2008; this was the first time that the modern Chinese navy was deployed to an operational mission outside of China's claimed territorial waters.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Alison A. Kaufman|url=https://www.cna.org/cna_files/pdf/D0020834.A1.pdf|title=Conference Report: China's Participation in Anti-Piracy Operations off the Horn of Africa: Drivers and Implications|publisher=[[CNA (nonprofit)|CNA]]|date=July 2009}}</ref> In 2017, China officially opened its [[Chinese People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti|first overseas military base]] in [[Djibouti]]; the base is used for anti-piracy operations, as well as unrelated Chinese efforts aimed at "intelligence collection, non-combat evacuation operations, peacekeeping operation support, and counterterrorism."<ref>Tyler Headley, [https://thediplomat.com/2018/12/chinas-djibouti-base-a-one-year-update/ China's Djibouti Base: A One Year Update], ''The Diplomat'' (4 December 2018).</ref>

== Trials ==
In May 2010, a Yemeni court sentenced six Somali pirates to death and jailed six others for 10 years each, for hijacking a Yemeni oil tanker, killing one cabin crew member and leaving another missing in April 2009.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yemen court sentences six Somali pirates to death|agency=[[Reuters]]|date= 18 May 2010|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE64H1QB.htm}}</ref>

In May 2010, another Somali, [[Abduwali Muse]], pleaded guilty in a [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|New York federal court]] to seizing a United States-flagged ship ''Maersk Alabama'' and kidnapping its captain and was sentenced to 33 years imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news|title=Somali pirate sentenced to 33 years in US prison|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12486129|work= BBC News|date=16 February 2011|access-date=16 February 2011}}</ref>

The first European trial of alleged Somali pirates opened in the [[Netherlands]] in May 2010. They were arrested in the Gulf of Aden in January 2009, when their high-speed boat was intercepted by a Danish frigate while allegedly preparing to board the cargo ship ''Samanyolu'', which was registered in the [[Netherlands Antilles|Dutch Antilles]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Trial of alleged Somali pirates opens in Netherlands|date=25 June 2010|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10151792.stm|access-date=26 May 2010}}</ref> The pirates were sentenced to five years in prison, which was less than the maximum possible sentence. It is unlikely the men will be returned to Somalia after their sentence, as Somalia is considered too dangerous for deportation. One of the five has already applied for [[right of asylum|asylum]] in the Netherlands. Consequently, there are concerns that trials in European courts would encourage, rather than deter, pirates.<ref name="guardian1">{{cite news|title=Somali pirates jailed by Dutch court|first=Henry|last= Foy|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=17 June 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/17/somali-pirates-jailed-netherlands|location=London}}</ref> However, trials are continuing in Europe. More recently in Paris, November 2011,<ref name="google news">{{cite news|title=Homesick Somali 'pirates' on trial in Paris |first=Annie |last=Thomas |date=17 November 2011 |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5juItAA87Q2zJfdQ561Wy_Bks8row?docId=CNG.4a103f4c12c31f010418ccb1595560e0.8c1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223193823/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5juItAA87Q2zJfdQ561Wy_Bks8row?docId=CNG.4a103f4c12c31f010418ccb1595560e0.8c1 |archive-date=23 February 2014 }}</ref> five men were sentenced to between four and eight years; one man was acquitted. A trial was also held in [[Hamburg]] for ten Somali pirates who had hijacked the freighter ''Taipan'' in 2010. They were found guilty in 2012 and sentenced to 6-7 years in prison with reduced time for the [[Juvenile delinquency|juveniles]] among them. After release, five left Germany, the others filed for asylum.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hamburger Piraten-Prozess – Leben die Somalier mittlerweile von Hartz 4?|url=https://correctiv.org/faktencheck/2018/04/13/hamburger-piraten-prozess-leben-die-somalier-mittlerweile-von-hartz-4/|work= Correctiv|date=30 April 2018|access-date=1 May 2024}}</ref> In Italy, nine Somali pirates had been tried and sentenced to prison terms of 16 and 19 years.<ref name="Crippa Italian sentence">{{cite news|last=Crippa|first=Matteo|title=UPDATE: Convictions in First Italy Piracy Trial|url=http://piracy-law.com/2012/12/02/convictions-in-first-italy-piracy-tria/|access-date=25 December 2012|newspaper=Piracy-law.com|date=2 December 2012}}</ref> They had been found guilty of attempted kidnapping for extortion and illegal possession of firearms, in connection with 10 October 2011 attack and seizure of an Italian-owned cargo vessel, the Montecristo.<ref name="Crippa Italian trial">{{cite news|last=Crippa|first=Matteo|title=Historic Piracy Trial Opens in Italy|url=http://piracy-law.com/2012/03/27/historic-piracy-trial-opens-in-italy/|access-date=25 December 2012|newspaper=Piracy-law.com|date=27 March 2012}}</ref>

On 1 April 2010, {{USS|Nicholas|FFG-47|6}} was on patrol off the Somali coast when it took fire from men in a small skiff. After chasing down the skiff and its mothership, US military captured five Somalis.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/04/01/2010-04-01_us_navy_captures_5_somali_pirates_siezes_pirate_mother_ship_off_kenya_somali_coa.html|title=U.S. Navy captures 5 Somali pirates; seizes pirate mother ship off Kenya, Somali coasts|author=Nelson, Katie|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=1 April 2010|date=1 April 2010}}</ref> Judge [[Raymond Alvin Jackson|Raymond A. Jackson]], a [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia|Federal District Court]] judge in [[Norfolk, Virginia]] threw out the piracy charge, which dates from enactment in 1819 when piracy was defined only as robbery at sea. The penalty for piracy is mandatory life in prison. The U.S. government appealed the ruling.<ref>{{cite web|last=McGlone|first=Tim|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2010/11/federal-courts-norfolk-wrestle-over-definition-piracy|title=Federal judges in Norfolk wrestle over definition of piracy &#124; HamptonRoads.com &#124; PilotOnline.com|publisher=HamptonRoads.com|date=8 November 2010|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref> In March 2011 the five Somalis were sentenced to life for piracy to run consecutively with the 80-year term.<ref>{{cite web|last=McGlone|first=Tim|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/03/somalis-get-life-plus-80-years-pirate-attack-nicholas|title=5 Somali pirates get life for attack on Nicholas
|publisher=HamptonRoads.com|date=15 March 2010|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref> In the same month 13 Somalis and one Yemeni suspected of hijacking and killing four Americans aboard a yacht made their first appearance in federal court in Norfolk.<ref>{{cite web|last=Reilly|first=Corinne|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/03/somali-pirate-suspects-leave-enterprise-possibly-norfolk|title=Arabian Sea piracy suspects appear in Norfolk court|publisher=HamptonRoads.com|date=3 November 2010|access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref>

On 28 January 2011, pursuant to the naval engagement of the pirate mother vessel MV ''Prantalay'' (a hijacked Thai trawler) by Car Nicobar-class fast attack craft INS ''Cankarso'', the [[Indian Navy]] and the [[Indian Coast Guard]] killed 10 pirates and apprehended 15, while rescuing 20 Thai and Burmese fishermen that were held aboard the ship as hostages. The rescued fishermen were sent to [[Kochi]] while the 15 pirates, of Somali, Ethiopian and Kenyan origin, were taken to [[Mumbai]]. The [[Mumbai Police]] confirmed that they registered a case against the pirates for attempt to murder and various other provisions under the [[Indian Penal Code]] and the Passports Act for entering the Indian waters without permission.<ref name="google1"/>

In May 2012, a U.S. federal appeals court upheld the convictions of five pirates, a decision which prosecutors described as the first United States-based piracy convictions in 190 years.<ref name="US Pirate Trial">{{cite news|title=U.S. Court Upholds Somali Pirates' Conviction|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/world/africa/us-court-upholds-somali-pirates-conviction.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=23 May 2012}}</ref>

In October 2013, [[Mohamed Abdi Hassan]] ("Afweyne") was arrested in [[Belgium]] for having allegedly masterminded the 2009 hijacking of the Belgian dredge vessel ''Pompei'', abducted its crew, and participated in a criminal organization. According to federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle, Hassan was responsible for the hijacking of dozens of commercial ships from 2008 to 2013.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} In March 2016, Hassan was tried in [[Bruges]] and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for leading the 2009 hijacking of the ''Pompei.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Somali Piracy Kingpin Known As Afwayne Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Hijacking Belgian Ship, Pompei – Strategic Intelligence Service |date=16 March 2016 |url=https://intelligencebriefs.com/somali-piracy-kingpin-known-as-afwayne-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-for-hijacking-belgian-ship-pompei/ |access-date=2022-04-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[August 2009 Egyptian hostage escape]]
* [[April 2009 raid off Somalia]]
* [[2012 Italian Navy Marines shooting incident in the Laccadive Sea]]
* [[Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal]]
* [[CIA]]'s [[Special Activities Division]]
* [[Drone strikes in Somalia]]
* [[Combined Task Force 150]] and [[Combined Task Force 151]] coalition force counter-piracy operations in the region.
* [[Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia]]
* [[International Maritime Bureau]]
* [[International Maritime Organization]]
* [[Operation Atalanta]]
* [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa]]
* [[People's Armed Forces Maritime Militia]]
* [[Piracy around the Horn of Africa]]
* [[Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea]]
* [[Piracy in the Strait of Malacca]]
* [[Piracy on Falcon Lake]]
* [[Pirate Round]]
* [[Ship Security Alert System]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111007135656/http://somaliareport.com/index.php/category/3/Piracy%20REPORT Somalia Report publishes a weekly piracy report]
* [http://www.piracy-studies.org/ Piracy Studies] A knowledge resource and online bibliography on contemporary maritime piracy]
* [http://www.eunavfor.eu/ European Union Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta]
* [http://www.lessonsfrompiracy.net/ Website of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia Report including all official documents an papers on lessons from piracy]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130913213239/http://www.maritimesecurity.eu/fileadmin/content/news_events/workingpaper/PiraT_Arbeitspapier_Nr6_2011_Maouche.pdf Alexandre Maouche: Piracy along the Horn of Africa: An Analysis of the Phenomena within Somalia, June 2011]
* Christian Bueger, [http://doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2015.960170 Learning from Piracy: Future Challenges of Maritime Security Governance, Global Affairs, 1(1), 33–42, 2015]
* [[Stig Jarle Hansen]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20110501085654/http://www.nibr.no/uploads/publications/26b0226ad4177819779c2805e91c670d.pdf Piracy in the greater Gulf of Aden, Myths, Misconception and Remedies, NIBR Report 2009:29], Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120425080038/http://seadb.aperto-nota.fr/2011/12/maritime-transportation-the-impact-of-somalian-piracy/ aperto-nota.fr] maritime routes off Somalia (2011)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120112112115/http://www.difesa.it/SMD/CASD/Istituti_militari/CeMISS/Pubblicazioni/News206/2009-12/Pagine/La_pirateria_nel_golfo_di_Aden_11754.aspx Lorenzo Striuli, La pirateria nel golfo di Aden], Italian Military Center for Strategic Studies report (2009) (In Italian)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131208124219/http://vsos.sc/about-vsos/ VSOS] Indian Ocean Maritime Security
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130402205646/http://www.globalgovernance.eu/index.php/p-s-publications/246-new-analysis-the-somali-crisis-and-the-eu-3.html Global Governance Institute publishes on Somalia and the EU]
* [http://icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre], International Chamber of Commerce, Commercial Crime Services
* [http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/safer-waters-global-piracy-menace-wane Interactive Map, Attacks in 2013], TODAY Online
* [https://www.academia.edu/5145475/Quaderni_Asiatici_101_-_marzo_2013_PIRACY_IN_SOMALIA_A_LONG_TERM_MENACE_OR_A_PHENOMENON_IN_ITS_LAST_THROES, Martino Sacchi, Piracy in Somalia: a long term menace or a phenomenon in its last throes?] Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2013

{{Pirates}}
{{Human rights in Somalia}}
{{Piracy in Somalia}}
{{Post-Cold War African conflicts}}
{{Military of India}}

[[Category:Piracy in Somalia| ]]
[[Category:Transport in Somalia]]
[[Category:Gulf of Aden]]
[[Category:Military operations involving China]]
[[Category:Military operations involving Iran]]
[[Category:Military operations involving Japan]]
[[Category:Military operations involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Military operations involving the United States]]
[[Category:Arabian Sea]]
[[Category:2000s crimes in Somalia]]
[[Category:2010s crimes in Somalia]]
[[Category:2005 crimes in Somalia]]
[[Category:Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing]]
[[Category:Transport in the Arabian Sea]]
[[Category:Military operations involving India]]