PIRATES! Arrgh!

When we think of pirates we usually think of swashbuckling pirates like Captain Jack Sparrow, the pirate that Johnny Depp played in the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean. Legendary names like Blackbeard, Barbarossa, and Captain Kidd inspire thoughts of glamour, fun and adventure. In the centuries since they sailed the high seas, pirates have been transformed from the murderers, rapists, bullies and thieves they were, into the heroes we admire in movies today. Pirates, we assumed, had disappeared in the centuries since those legendary pirates last sailed.

In the 21^st century, what chance does a news addict have at resisting stories about modern day pirates off the coast of Somalia? I have been utterly unable to resist any story about these pirates, in any form, whether on television, in newspapers, magazines and on the Internet.

The conditions that exist in the east African country of Somalia are perfect for producing modern day pirates. Since the early 1990’s the country of Somalia has had a government that is so weak that it is really more accurate to say the country has no government. It is truly a lawless country. It has no army, no police, and no legal justice system. With no government, and very little natural resources, Somalia’s jobless and poverty rates are very high. Such conditions have produced desperation in the population. Somalia has over 3,000 kilometers of unregulated coastline. The northern coastline of Somalia borders the Gulf of Aden, through which cruise ships, oil tankers and ships carrying valuable cargo must pass.

Pirates on the lookout for passing ships

These modern day pirates ride in small speed boats, armed with only assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), then try to take over any ship that happens to pass by. When they are successful at taking over a ship, they then demand cash ransoms from the ship owners and insurers. This tactic has paid off several times, making the pirates popular with the ordinary citizens of Somalia that benefit from the pirates spending their ill-gotten cash at their shops and businesses.

Modern day pirates boarding a ship

The modern navies of the world are teaming up, and patrolling the shores off Somalia’s coast, trying their best to protect the ships that pass by, and they’re beginning to make progress. I just can’t wait to see what happens next.