Guest Blog - Piracy and What it means to Sailors

The following is a guest blog post from Washington, DC-based sailor Charles Martin-Shields.  Those of us who look to sail around the world, to far off places, to the last remaining remote corners of the ocean should take special note of this and future posts from Charles.  I especially look forward to what he has to say about the intersection of environmental factors, human rights, and security. 

Thank you Charles for this insightful post:

Recently the New York Times ran an article on piracy in the Gulf of Aden, expanding on the unfolding ransom negotiations for a ship laden with heavy arms and its crew.  The BBC has published a long series of articles on the subject of piracy off the coast of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region.  

As sailors we ply the waters that pirates from regions as diverse as Southeast Asia, the Horn of Africa and the Caribbean stalk.  While navies and coast guards try to protect us and valuable shipping cargo, clearly this is not enough to stem the problem; the BBC’s reporting shows us a picture of an entire industry in Somalia revolving around piracy.  In effect, no matter how many pirates law enforcers kill or arrest there will always be a new, desperate person who will man an attack boat to feed their family and earn a living.

To unravel what we sailors should know about piracy, this post will give a short explanation of what development experts and conflict analysts call ‘conflict entrepreneurs’.  For those who saw the BBC's well written story about the Port of Eyl in Somalia, conflict entrepreneurs are the characters that show up with the suits, laptops and Land Cruisers.  In a place like Somalia, where there has not been a government for over a generation, people will do what they must to survive; piracy, as we can see, is a lucrative field.  With no means for earning a living Somali men turn to piracy; accountants balance budgets, lawyers negotiate ransoms and fishermen run the boats.  

While it’s difficult at times, we should think beyond naval interventions.  What could be productive means for potential pirates and conflict entrepreneurs to make a legitimate living?  The boat handling described in the BBC article is fairly advanced; could these men be pilots for boats entering the Gulf of Aden?  Millions of dollars already flow through pirate circles; clearly the accountants have skills that could be used for legitimate purposes.  We aren’t the navies and coast guards of the world and thus have the luxury of thinking about these opportunities.  We can be the advocates who have a stake in solving this problem, instead of merely policing it.

The posts that follow will look at particular areas where piracy occurs, and what the drivers are.  Sometimes it’s illegal fishing and the depletion of resources.  Other times its anarchy and violence on land that drive piracy on the seas.  By going in depth, we can focus on advocacy that can make the seas safer for everyone.