Navies struggle with 'swarming' pirates
By Nick Childs BBC News
The British admiral in charge of the EU naval force countering the Somali pirate threat off the east coast of Africa has said there has been a huge surge in activity by pirates in recent weeks to try to flood the area.
Rear Adm Peter Hudson told the BBC that the priority for international navies now was to increase co-operation and concentrate forces to counter this new strategy.
But the EU acknowledges that the pirate threat in the region is "an expanding phenomenon", both in terms of level of activity and range.
The EU naval force (Navfor) says the rate of pirate activity it saw in March was double that of the three months from September to November 2009 - the last calm period between monsoons when pirates mostly operate.
Swarm tactics
The main area of concern is now the southern part of what is known as the Somali basin - the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast. And the navies are also having to contend with new pirate tactics. "What we've seen in the last month in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, the Somali basin, is almost swarm tactics by some of the pirates who try to flood the area with action groups," said Adm Hudson.
But the admiral insisted that the international naval forces are able to make a difference. And the navies believe they are reducing the number of successful attacks. "By correctly positioning our aircraft, putting our ships in the right area, we've managed to break up, dismantle, disrupt over 20 of those groups," he said.
Adm Hudson also said that the number of suspected pirates in jail facing prosecution in Kenya and the Seychelles had risen significantly.
Kenya, however, has announced it will no longer take any new pirate suspects, saying it has taken more than its fair share of the "burden".
Still, there were nine hijackings in March. And Adm Hudson acknowledged that the level of activity showed there was still "a big appetite to go and see ships". He suggested there could be "a handful of thousands" of people involved in the different aspects of the area's piracy operations.
There has been growing international concern over the scale of piracy coming from Somalia.
More...
By Nick Childs BBC News
The British admiral in charge of the EU naval force countering the Somali pirate threat off the east coast of Africa has said there has been a huge surge in activity by pirates in recent weeks to try to flood the area.
Rear Adm Peter Hudson told the BBC that the priority for international navies now was to increase co-operation and concentrate forces to counter this new strategy.
But the EU acknowledges that the pirate threat in the region is "an expanding phenomenon", both in terms of level of activity and range.
The EU naval force (Navfor) says the rate of pirate activity it saw in March was double that of the three months from September to November 2009 - the last calm period between monsoons when pirates mostly operate.
Swarm tactics
The main area of concern is now the southern part of what is known as the Somali basin - the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast. And the navies are also having to contend with new pirate tactics. "What we've seen in the last month in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, the Somali basin, is almost swarm tactics by some of the pirates who try to flood the area with action groups," said Adm Hudson.
But the admiral insisted that the international naval forces are able to make a difference. And the navies believe they are reducing the number of successful attacks. "By correctly positioning our aircraft, putting our ships in the right area, we've managed to break up, dismantle, disrupt over 20 of those groups," he said.
Adm Hudson also said that the number of suspected pirates in jail facing prosecution in Kenya and the Seychelles had risen significantly.
Kenya, however, has announced it will no longer take any new pirate suspects, saying it has taken more than its fair share of the "burden".
Still, there were nine hijackings in March. And Adm Hudson acknowledged that the level of activity showed there was still "a big appetite to go and see ships". He suggested there could be "a handful of thousands" of people involved in the different aspects of the area's piracy operations.
There has been growing international concern over the scale of piracy coming from Somalia.
More...
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