An Cosantóir

| 25 til the ransom is paid by the ship's owners or they are rescued. Recent UN reports and several news sources have suggested that piracy off the coast of Somalia was partially caused by illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters by several European companies. After the outbreak of the Somali civil war in 1991, the coastline became a target for foreign fishing vessels that over-fished the region leaving very little for local fishermen. The long and remote coastline of Somalia remained unguarded as the civil war raged and was targeted by criminals who used the area as a dumping ground for the disposal of toxic waste. According to S Thomas Troy in his book Warlords Rising: Confronting Violent Non-state Actors: "In 1992, reports ran in the European press of 'unnamed European firms' contracting with local warlords to dump toxic waste 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 Italian Mafia – contracted with local Somali warlords to ship hundreds of thousands of tonnes of toxic industrial waste from Europe to Somalia." The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 wreaked havoc and its huge waves stirred up tonnes of toxic waste that polluted the waters and littered the shoreline of Somalia. Reports of health issues among the population of Somalia increased drastically, with cases being reported of radiation sickness and cancer. Piracy and demanding ransoms for ships and their crews are seen as a means of extracting compensation from those that are destroying the sea and the way of life of Somali fishermen. Januna Ali Jama, a spokesman for the pirates has stated that "The Somali coastline has been destroyed, and we believe this money is nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas." The local population, who benefit greatly from the acts of piracy, support the pirates, stating that the attacks are an act of self defence against those who invade and exploit Somalia's water resources illegally. On the other hand law enforcement agencies throughout the world believe that those taking part in attacks on international shipping are not wronged locals but are career criminals who have identified easy targets that result in the payments of substantial ransoms. It is estimated that between $339m and $413m was paid in ransoms off the Somali coast between 2005 and 2012, with an average haul of $2.7m. Reports released by the World Bank, the UN and Interpol reveal that those pirates actually carrying out the attacks receive very little of the bounty. Most of the money finds its way into the hands of financial backers, corrupt government officials, middlemen and a host of unscrupulous suppliers. Money is also paid to the countless militias that control the ports in Somalia. An example of this is one agreement in Haradheer, a port north of Mogadishu, where pirates pay a development tax of 20% to al-Shabaab, an Islamist rebel group linked to al-Qaeda. However, some of the biggest profiteers of these attacks are the insurance companies. With so many ships from so many countries passing through the danger zone, many do not comply with naval guidelines on how best to prevent pirate attacks. Premiums have increased significantly and in what could be seen as a cynical attempt to keep them high, insurance firms have failed to insist that ship owners take security precautions that would make hijackings more difficult. Private security contractors and the German arms industry have also profited considerably from attacks on shipping. With the increase in pirate attacks, an international military response has been co-ordinated on the high seas. A number of states have united in providing counter-piracy operations. They work to protect humanitarian aid and reduce the disruption of the shipping routes and the destabilising of the maritime environment in the region. A wide range of military vessels and air support now police the seas making it more difficult for pirates to attack. Special Forces units trained in boarding ships and rescuing hostages have had positive results. However, one of the most inventive ways of preventing pirate attacks on shipping has come from the singer Britney Spears. As pirate skiffs approach a target vessel, pop hits such as Oops! I Did It Again and Baby One More Time are boomed out across the waters. Merchant Navy officer Rachal Owens explained: "Her songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them the most. These guys can't stand Western culture or music, making Britney's hits perfect. As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney, they move on as quickly as they can." However, even with security measures in place, piracy still continues. A recent study reveals that the most effective way to curb such high seas attacks is to disrupt the financial backers and to target those laundering the proceeds of piracy. Whatever the answer, the instability in Somalia has provided a secure base for insurgency that in the future will need to be addressed. www.military.ie the defence forces magazine

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