Preliminary briefing on Somalia Piracy

1. Piracy Briefing:
November, 2008
Somalia and
Gulf of Aden
EmergencyNet
By C. L. Staten
Sr. National Security Analyst
Emergency Response &
Research Institute (ERRI)
© Copyright, 2008, Emergency Response & Research Institute and the author. All rights reserved.

2. The scope of the Problem
• Piracy incidents
have increased,
both in the
number and
intensity of
incidents

3. Who are the Pirates - I
• Somalia’s pirates
are allegedly
disgruntled former
fishermen who
have now turned
to piracy…

4. Opinions Differ About Pirates - II
• The Somali
government has
described the pirates
as an oceanic “mafia”
and said they had
netted millions of
dollars in “booty”…

5. Still Other Viewpoints About Pirates -III
• Other reports simply describe the
pirates as “clan members” from
the Puntland area of Somalia…
• And still others say that the
pirates are connected to various
government factions and/or that
they are paying protection
money to local clan leaders, who
Somalia Clan “Technicals”
protect them on the shore…

6. Pirate Organization – “Mother Ships”
• The pirates are
said to be using
what are called
“Mother ships,”
which allegedly
provide command
& control and re-
supply several
smaller “raider
boats”

7. Latest Trends – Gulf of Aden Piracy
In short, the trends in latest
piracy incidents are as follows:
• Targeting larger cargo / oil /
gas / chemical tankers
• Approaches / attacks
conducted from 2-3 small
speedboats with 3-5 armed
persons each. The number of
boats involved in each incident
seems to be increasing.
Source: NATO Shipping Centre
http://www.shipping.nato.int/

8. Pirates Up the Ante With Tanker Capture
• The latest pirate
acquisition, the Sirius
Star and it cargo of
$100m worth of crude
oil, has dramatically
increased the stake
for shippers through
the Gulf of Aden…

9. Are the Pirates Linked to Al-Qaeda?
• A divergence of opinion is apparent among experts
about whether or not the pirates currently have direct
links to Al-Qaeda or other jihadists…
• ERRI analysts said a study of available Open Source
Literature (OSINT LIT) at the time of this report would
suggest that equally reputable experts have taken
opposing viewpoints on both sides of this important
question. There is no clear consensus on this issue at
this time…we continue to study it.

10. Are the Pirates Linked to Al-Qaeda - II
• quot;I do not have any evidence that the pirates
have links with al Qaeda. We may speculate
and think about it, but I personally do not
have any evidence,quot; said Africom
commander U.S. General William Ward.
-- Source: “No links between Somali pirates, al Qaeda:
US,” Tue 25 Nov 2008, 13:42 GMT, Reuter’s, at:
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4AO0GO.html

11. Islamic insurgent group Al-Shabaab
• ERRI analysts fear and anticipate that the pirates are or will
be associated with the Al-Shabaab insurgent group (a.k.a.
Ashabaab al mujahideen.)

12. Terrorists and Pirates Together
• The two groups could form a
symbiotic relationship…with
the pirates providing funding
for Al-Ashabaab from
hijackings/ransom, and Al-
Ashabaab providing security
for the pirates bases on the
shore…

13. Current Weapons of the Pirates:
• So far, the weapons used by the pirates have been
basic infantry issue and many are surplus from the
former Soviet Union. They are commonly available
on the black markets, all over the world…

14. What Would that Mean to the World?
• ERRI analysts suggest that pirate
connections to Al-Shabaab would
be tantamount to linking them to
Al-Qaeda, who are believed to be
trying to establish a base in the
Horn of Africa area. Such a base
could then be used to infiltrate
and destabilize other African
nations…a potentially disastrous
outcome for the continent.

15. Suggested Anti-Piracy Measures…
• Although they are in short supply, overhead surveillance by
pilotless drones could help locate pirate boats before they
could undertake attacks. Predator-type platforms could be
used to locate and target pirate boats during their
commission of an international crime/act of war.

16. Anti-Piracy Law Enforcement?
• Of course, on the lower
end of the response
spectrum… naval “fast
boats” and special
operating or law
enforcement forces can
be used in an attempt to
confront and arrest the
pirates.

17. Private Security Approach to
Combating Pirates
• Some experts are suggesting that
the job of protecting commercial
shipping should be the
responsibility of the companies
themselves. A number of private
security companies are reportedly
negotiating to provide armed
security guards for ships at risk.

18. More Piracy Counter-Measures
• Acquired surveillance
information could also
be relayed to Task
Force 150, or similar
forces…so they could
undertake interdiction
action in a timely
manner.

19. High-End Anti-Piracy Measures…
• Anti-ship missiles
could also be used to
destroy pirate “mother”
or other hostile and
larger ships…should it
be decided that is the
only reasonable
resolution to the
problem.

20. ERRI/Emergency Net News
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