UN: Naval escorts are getting food aid to Somalia (piracy may prevent food aid)

[Tab]

Source: Associated Press

GENEVA – The United Nations warned Wednesday that piracy off Somalia's coast could deprive the country's poorest of much-needed food aid.

The World Food Program has managed to deliver a steady flow of relief over the last 18 months, thanks largely to its use of naval escorts for supply boats approaching the Somali capital of Mogadishu, the northeast port of Berbera and Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland.

But before those shipments are turned over to the U.N. aid agency, they are often unescorted and vulnerable to attack.

The recent surge in attacks in the Indian Ocean — including two in a week on U.S. aid ships — has raised questions about whether more escorts are needed.

Both American ships were unescorted as they headed for Mombasa, Kenya, to hand their supplies over to WFP. The Liberty Sun took some damage during its attack Wednesday, but managed to escape and reach the Kenyan port with its crew unharmed.

The incident followed the liberation Monday of the captain of another U.S. ship carrying food aid, the Maersk Alabama, who had offered himself as a hostage to save his 19-man crew from the pirates. The Maersk Alabama had been bringing food aid as a donation for WFP, and was not contracted by the agency.

"The ship escort system has worked quite well," said Emilia Casella of WFP, which has been using naval escorts since November 2007. "When we've had escorts, we have had not any incidents of piracy on WFP-contracted ships."

WFP shipped 260,000 tons of food to millions of Somalis suffering from drought and violence last year, Casella said.

But the agency is worried about a cargo ship hijacked Tuesday while heading to Mumbai, India, to pick up 7,327 tons of WFP food for Somalia. The Lebanese-owned MV Sea Horse was not under WFP contract, but would have flown under the agency's flag once the food was loaded, Casella said.

"We're very concerned that people in Somalia would go hungry unless the Sea Horse is released," she said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_re_af/piracy_un_aid

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The problem is that the pirates have a good business model going - it's cheaper for shipping lines to pay ransom than to divert ships. Pirates are making bucks, so they don't care.

The Somalis in need are getting the shaft, but there's nothing in the pirate's interest to helping them.

[ohio2007]

1. Once the aid leaves the dock......the land pirates take it.

just a fact the UN world food program agents don't like to bring up.

The UN has a profitable ves$ted intere$t in the$e program$ themselves

[bahrbearian]

2. after the leave the dock, they pump the bulges for and throw the garbage over.

[jwirr]

3. During WWII merchant marines formed convoys protected by naval

vessels and that is the way they stopped the Nazi from stopping deliveries. It seems to me that some form of that idea would work in this area to bring the piracy to a halt.

[Posteritatis]

4. Apparently they're convoying somewhat in the region already

To say it's a high-traffic part of the world is a bit of an understatement, though. They can protect dozens or hundreds of ships and boats, but the region sees thousands.

[Lasher]

7. Convoys Are an Answer to Piracy

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.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123966729406515295.html

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. Interesting numbers - especially the 30,000 ships a year thing

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.
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If the shippers could agree to say $5,000 per ship for safe passage - paid to the Somali GOVERNMENT not the pirates,

That would give the government 150 million a year to benefit it's citizens with food and other needs.

A consortium of some sort could ensure that some of the "fee" is in goods like food and medical supplies, etc., and not just cash.

SOMEONE has to start thinking here.

Head shots from the USA's "elite" sharpshooters ain't gonna solve the problem. That only gives the blood-lusting Ruh-Roh gang a good feeling about it's ability to kill.

SOMEONE is responsible for the dumping of toxins, and overfishing their shores - not likely anyone will be held accountable for that - SO

fix it now, cheaply and without harm - PAY a wee fee to pass - and help out the Somalis as you go - -

OR

We can just give them Navy Seals more target practice . . .

(sigh)

[Lasher]

9. What is the Somali government going to do to stop the pirates?

And what would they do with $150 million a year, give it to the clans? If ships paid tribute to Somalia, wouldn't other countries also expect it from ships that pass within 300 miles of their shores?

[Posteritatis]

10. *What* Somali government? (nt)

[Lasher]

15. That was my main point. n/t

[Posteritatis]

11. Lot of assumptions there, most of them broken

You're assuming there's only one (or two) shipping lanes, that all the ships are likely to use said lanes exclusively, that they'll all want to take that particular route, and that they won't break off for a local destination at one point or another. You're also assuming all the smaller craft like fishing boats, local freighters, pleasure craft (I know, I know, orthodoxy here says they need to be attacked but even so), etc, all have the capacity, the reason, or the desire to stick to these two predetermined routes.

If there was some simple, back-of-the-napkin armchair-admiral type of solution to this it would have happened. Would convoying - which is already happening to an extent - reduce it? Sure. But saying it would Fix The Problem is silly.

[Lasher]

14. Did you hit the link?

The WSJ article did mention that all shipping companies would not scramble to sign up for such a thing. Please note, the article says Convoys are an answer, not the answer. And the idea is a shitload better than most others I have seen bandied about, such as prosecuting Europeans for illegal fishing and dumping, without ever any mention of Asians or Africans.

[Historic NY]

5. Exactly I was talking to my 95 yr old cousin a WWII Merchant Seaman..

why with all the different countries involved can't muster up a ship or two for convoy duty is beyond him. All these ships have to navigate the Suez Canal. There is no reason not to group them with an escort. doesn't that make sense especially if your not putting an armed guard on board them. A small escort vessel can handel more than a few ships.

[ohio2007]

12. The navy hunted and killed U boats...Somalia has no U boats

but the navy has identified the pirate "milk cows" tramping around the Indian ocean. Would be nice if the rudders were disabled and they were sending out distress signals

[laconicsax]

6. So...are they trying to steal aid food to protest European polluters?

:shrug:

[ohio2007]

13. They steal the food aid to feed their children sailors and soldiers

reports are slim on that end of the pirate story

[ohio2007]

16. Pirate Assault on the Liberty Sun ( US flagged ) YouTube video

Last month, pirates assaulted the Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged merchant ship carrying food aid to Kenya. Here's how it went down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka_KfSPkrw4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewired%2Ecom%2Fdangerroom%2F&feature=player_embedded