Pirate Attacks off the African Coast

International Reaction and Concern

The African Union urged the United Nations on Thursday to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia, as piracy off the east African nation's sprawling coast spiraled out of control.

An anti-piracy watchdog, meanwhile, advocated more aggressive action against the well-organized bandits who have attacked 95 ships this year in the Gulf of Aden and hijacked 39 of them.

Video: Pirate Attacks Continue to Plague African Coast

Eight vessels have been seized in the last two weeks alone _ including a massive Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of crude oil. Several hundred crew are now in the hands of Somali pirates.

Former U.S. Navy SEAL and Current TV journalist Kaj Larsen told washingtonpost.com in an e-mail interview: "It's extraordinarily easy [for pirates to seize ships]. The trade craft of piracy is very simple. It only takes a few guys with samll boats to go up and take down a ship, much like a hundred years ago. The only difference is, as in places like Somalia and Southeast Asia, they're using AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades."

Larsen was online Thursday, Nov. 20, at Noon ET to discuss the battle in the Gulf of Aden, his experience in engaging with pirates in Southeast Asia and the implications of piracy on global economy and security.

A transcript follows.

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Kaj Larsen: Hello, my name is Kaj Larsen. I am a correspondent for Current TV. I recently produced a piece on the threat of Global Piracy in the straights of Malacca.

I also have reported from Somalia, and in 2006 was at the port of Mogadishu when the piracy problem was getting its nascent start. I also have a military background in counter-piracy. I'm honored to be in the forum with everyone today and look forward to answering any questions I can and contributing to the discussion.

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Colorado Springs, Colo.: Kaj, If the folks flying UAV's over this location have video of the sinking of the pirate mother ship, do you think it will be released for public viewing?

It's my impression that the U.S. military has about 25 UAV's flying out of Djibouti, and that they can maintain 24/7 surveillance over a swath that is roughly 25 miles wide and 325 miles long. That's such a small fraction of the area where these pirates operate.

How is the situational awareness? Can we detect and track every single pirate boat? Aren't there dozens out trolling for victims at any one time? And aren't most of their attacks on small private craft?

Kaj Larsen: Great question. The situational awareness is good but not great. Yes we have surveillance assets in the area but still have this problem of geography. There are 2.5 million square miles of water in the Area of operations, so its extremely hard to distinguish pirate operations from commercial or fishing traffic.

Yes, there are dozens of pirate boats, and the operations are getting increasingly more sophisticated, making them harder to detect.

Finally I do think the video will eventually be released. We need some good news on this issue

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Ithaca, N.Y.: Similar to different outbreaks of Piracy of the last few hundred years, do you think that an absolute crackdown by the World's Navy's is necessary to stop this current rash of Piracy? Would modern Navy's consider policies such as the hang on capture policy that of the British Navy of 200 years ago? What is stopping the U.S., U.K., Russia and the like from actively engaging these pirates aboard the vessels that have already been captured?

Kaj Larsen: In part its an issue of focus. The Navy has many strategic priorities, and where piracy falls on the list is still an up in the air question. I think now with the recent rash of attacks you will see an amalgam of some increased international coalition presence and an increase in private security options.

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Austin, Texas: I read that the U.S. Navy has suggested that merchant ships consider arming themselves.

Apparently they don't want to do so because it would increase insurance costs.

But it sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

What do you think?

Kaj Larsen: The issue here is ability. The parallel is airline pilots carrying guns; its not really their domain of expertise. Increasingly what you will see is private security firms getting involved, because eventually the insurance costs will become prohibitive.

In general I am not a fan of encouraging untrained people to carry weapons. I think its a recipe for disaster, especially with the aggressiveness of these modern day pirates.

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Washington, D.C.: Why don't ships have more security? I mean, a Wells Fargo truck has more security than some of these ships it seems which are much, much more valuable. Is it a problem of international law?

Kaj Larsen: Good question. Increasingly ships are realizing they need security. In the past this was a cost saving mechanism, less crew meant it was cheaper. Now you will see the beginnings of private security firms getting in the game. Blackwater is already there.

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New Brunswick, N.J.: I am really dismayed at the U.S. reaction to this, telling companies to go hire private marines to protect themselves. Isn't a naval presence in oceans a MUCH more defensible role for the U.S. than the occupation of Iraq? Because of that fiasco, we cannot fulfill our true military obligations.

Thinking back through history, though, for example the successful Mediterranean campaign of Pompey the Great (I'm thinking WAY back!), pirate campaigns always seem to require landing to destroy the villages that give the pirates support. Can that dire step be avoided this time?

Kaj Larsen: Your question about the villages that support pirates is an apt one. The heart of the issue of piracy in the Gulf is about Somalia which is a country in name only. If you solve the issue of ungoverned space in Somalia, you'll see a massive decrease in Piracy in the region.

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Daytona Beach, Fla.: Why are the world powers not doing anything to discourage the pirates? Is there a profit motivation in countries that prevents any action?

Kaj Larsen: No. Only in Somalia and its a private enterprise not a public one. In fact its quite the opposite. The issue has the potential to cripple the global economy. Piracy in Somalia, Southeast Asia, and even Nigeria can impact the supply of oil, which can have drastic effects on the global economy. That's not in the interest of any nation.

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Boonsboro, Md.: I have not read of any U.S. ships or citizens being captured. Why not just wait for the UN to take care of this? Not our problem.

Kaj Larsen: Actually it is our problem. Piracy around the world has serious potential to increase drastically the cost of shipping . 80 percent of the worlds commerce moves by sea, and if they don't contain the piracy problem that flat screen tv you have, and that gas you put in your SUV, is going to cost a lot more to ship. This is a global economy (think Friedman flat) and a butterfly flapping its wings in China, or a pirate revving his engine in Nigeria can hit you in the pocketbook.

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Washington, D.C.: I understand the reasons and the ease with which pirates operate in those waters. What I don't understand is why our navy or any other navy hasn't taken stronger and more direct action against these pirates. Isn't this one reason navy's exist ... to protect sea lanes? Isn't piracy a clear violation of international maritime law that allows for such remedies? Are there other agreements or organizations that have stymied a response?

Kaj Larsen: Well put. There are many agreements governing this, but the labyrinthine regulations of international maritime law do make action more difficult. There is developing action in the UN to clarify anti-piracy roles, but so far there hasn't been a clear joint or multi-national mandate to combat the problem. I don't believe there's a particular organization that has stymied the response, just the general bureaucratic difficulties of nations working together in the international arena.

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Reston, Va.: Why don't we send the Navy SEALs and air strikes against the shore property of the pirate bosses? The news has reported that many of them live in mansions with SUVs and consumer goods in a desperately poor country. Hit them where it hurts instead of playing an entirely defensive game.

Kaj Larsen: While I have a personal affinity for your choice of tactics here, it does raise issues of sovereignty and collateral damage as well as legal issues. Part of the problem is that the pirates are increasingly run by crime syndicates. The bosses living in mansions aren't actually perpetrating the crimes, only reaping the rewards. As in this country its easier to go after the foot soldiers who are actually engaging in the act than it is to pursue the leadership. So instead we are left with this game of cat and mouse on the high seas.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Shouldn't there be a United Nations or some other international force that can patrol areas and respond to pirate ships and attack ships that pirate others?

Kaj Larsen: Its in the works, but remember that this is a huge area of water and difficult to patrol regardless of the force. It becomes even more complicated when you throw in the fact that its complex for different Naval forces to patrol an area. The UN is not equipped in this area so they have to convince other countries to supply the resources.

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Seattle, Wash.: Why are people advocating a sea-based approach? Wouldn't a land-based approach that sought to deny these pirate safe-harbor work better?

Kaj Larsen: Tactically yes, strategically no. Somalia is a mess. I was there in 2006 and it has since declined into even more of an ungoverned space. You have identified the problem though. The lack of rule of law in Somalia has allowed the problem to reach these levels.

I do think its important to keep in mind that Somalia is only one are of the world facing Piracy. The straights of Malacca where I just returned from were declared a warzone in 2005 by Lloyds of London. Nigeria's delta has a significant problem as well. So we must solve Somalia, but Piracy is a global problem.

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Ocala, Fla.: Why aren't ships moving convoys which could be protected by the combined naval forces?

Kaj Larsen: The scale of traffic is just too great. There are thousands and thousands of ships transiting the worlds chokepoints annually and there aren't enough resources to protect all of them.

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Washington, D.C.: Have journalists been able to interview the pirates? Is anyone in regular communication with them?

Kaj Larsen: I was able to interview pirates in Southeast Asia and I believe the New York Times operating out of the Kenya bureau was able to have an interview with the pirates who took over the weapons laded Ukrainian ship recently.

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New Brunswick, N.J.: I was pleased to see the Indian Navy step up and succeed. Indian could really generate some proud PR and clout if they could "sweep the seas."

Kaj Larsen: Yes, but as they said on CBS its Indian Navy - 1 ,

Pirates - 8 this week.

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Action: With the recent action by the INS Tabar and the arrival of the EU fleet it seems we are on the verge of active combat for the first time. It's still a large amount of water to patrol, but assuming that the warships, who clearly should be able to outgun anything the pirates have, are successful, does this mean that there will need to be a permanent presence? With Somalia's situation being what it is, the financial incentive for piracy will remain.

Kaj Larsen: And I would add again that Piracy is not just specific to the Horn Of Africa region. The south China Sea has a massive under reported Piracy problem, as does other critical maritime routes.

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Cruise Ships: I was on a cruise ship about five years ago. How is the security and defense on a cruise ship?

Thank you!

Kaj Larsen: I am not sure about this, its a reasonable question. I have focused mostly on commercial traffic. But there was a cruise ship attacked several months ago, and since one of the primary revenue streams for the pirates is ransom, its not unlikely that this is a question that will become more important in the future.

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Bowie, Md.: Could you tell me how much truth there is in this statement: The world's oceans are largely free because the United States Navy keeps them that way. The least safe part is the Indian Ocean because the USN has the least presence there.

Kaj Larsen: I would say the worlds oceans are largely free because they are so giant. The USN, a service I'm proud to call my own is the finest Navy in the world, but the responsibility of the USN doesn't extend to every waterway of the world, nor are they capable of doing so. Their primary purpose is the National Security interests of the United States.

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Berryville, Va.: According to the pirates, they've taken to this occupation largely because of the loss of their off-shore fishing industry to modern trawlers run by various other nations.

Is there any possibility that regulation of off-shore fishing would get these guys back to fishing?

And is there any sense that trading those Soviet tanks for farm tractors instead of a cash might be productive?

In other words, the maritime nations will have to deal immediately with piracy, but will they seek to abate its underlying causes by getting that desperate country some means of production?

Thanks Kaj

Kaj Larsen: Yes, in my documentary on the subject I cover this, and it is somewhat true that the underlying root condition of piracy is poverty. However, with how lucrative the trade has been, and with the proliferation of arms in Somalia, its unlikely that enforcing the fishing rights is the only solution to the problem.

Important concept you raise here though, and certainly one piece of the puzzle.

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Kaj Larsen: I would like to thank everyone for joining in the discussion today. The quality of questions and responses are testament to the thoughtfulness of the Post's readership.

Its been an honor to participate, and if you are further interested in the subject you can watch my piece on Asian Pirates on Current TV or here at

Modern Day Pirates (Current TV, Nov. 6)

Thank you.

Kaj Larsen

Current TV

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Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.