To be sure, in different circumstances naval patrols have worked. Towards the end of the 20th century, pirates in the Strait of Malacca, which links the Indian and Pacific Oceans, not only captured ships, but crews that resisted were often murdered and their ships renamed and reflagged. Gradually, naval patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore made life more dangerous for the pirates and safer for mariners. In 2007, the Strait was declared “piracy free.” But those patrols were feasible because the Strait is a long, narrow passage never more than 150 miles wide.

Down by the Horn of Africa, however, patrolling one million square miles of ocean with the 60 vessels on station is an impossibility. A radar mounted on the top mast of a destroyer is unlikely to “see” a small rubber boat 25 miles away and can search only about 2,000 square miles — about one-fifth of 1% — of the sea in which pirates prowl. The rescue of Captain Richard Phillips by naval Special Forces operating from the USS Bainbridge, and the recent rescue by French commandos of a captured yacht, demonstrate that aggressive maritime policing can thwart pirate goals. But it is far better to prevent attacks in the first place.

Pirates, like the Nazi submarines of World War II, do not hunt for their targets; they lie across the sea lanes where ships are likely to travel and simply wait for a victim to come over the horizon. And the same tactic which defeated the U-boats can put an end to the majority of pirate attacks. Merchant ships can be ordered to form convoys for their own protection.

Thirty thousand ships a year, roughly 100 a day, 50 in each direction, transit the waters off the coast of Somalia. One convoy in each direction, each day, alternating between fast ships and slower ones, and each accompanied by four or five escort vessels, would do the job. There would then be only two targets a day in each area of coast for the pirates to find, instead of 100. When marauders approach a convoy, they could be warned off by the escorts or destroyed if they attack.

Related

• Snipers Kill Pirates, Save Captain – Wall Street Journal
• U.S. Military Considers Attacks on Somali Pirates’ Land Bases – Bloomberg.com
• Somali pirates seize two more ships – Reuters

Somali pirates hijacked a U.S.-flagged, Danish-owned container ship on Wednesday with 20 American crew on board in a major escalation in attacks at sea off the Horn of Africa nation, officials said.

Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, told Reuters the 17,000 tonne Maersk Alabama had been seized off Mogadishu far out in the Indian Ocean, but all its crew were believed to be unharmed.

Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk confirmed that the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama had been attacked by pirates about 500 km (300 miles) off Somalia and had probably been hijacked. The company said it had 20 American crew on board.

A spokesman for the U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) in Nairobi told Reuters that among the vessel’s cargo were 232 containers of WFP relief food destined for Somalia and Uganda.

Piracy off the cost of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping in the Gulf of Aden since early 1990s, over the last several years the pirates have become more aggressive and have started attacking shipping well outside the Gulf of Aden. The question now is how will the Obama Administration react to the hijacking of an U.S. flagged vessel with 20 American citizens aboard in international waters? Will they negotiate or will they respond forcefully?

My personal view is that it’s time to take aggressive action and send the message that attacks on merchant shipping in international waters are not going to be tolerated any longer.

Update (1:30 p.m.): The AP is reporting that the crew Maersk Alabama may be back in control of the ship, one pirate is rumored to be in custody… Shipping company spokesman says the crew is safe but will not confirm that they’ve regained control of the ship.

Update (2:15 p.m.): The AP is reporting that pirates are still holding the ship’s captain hostage, negotiations for his release are ongoing.

Update (4:30 p.m.): U.S. Warships headed for scene of hijacking, The U.S. S. Bainbridge (DDG-96) and at least six other vessels are reportedly headed for the area were the Maersk Alabama was hijacked.

Related

• Pirates Seize U.S.-Flagged Ship – Wall Street Journal
• Somali pirates seize US cargo ship with 20 Americans on board – Telegraph
• Mass. Maritime Grads, Crew Overtake Pirates – TheBostonChannel.com
• Somali pirates seize American ship, crew – Hot Air
• Obama’s pirate problem – Michelle Malkin
• US Merchant Ship Captured By Somali Pirates? – Blackfive