The global fight against piracy in Somalia has centered on prosecuting pirates and mobilizing naval forces. But to get to the root cause of the problem, the international community must focus on helping the nation build a functional political system, according to a new World Bank study.
Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP), a project of the One Earth Future foundation (OEF) has published a few months ago its third annual assessment of the Economic Cost of Somali Piracy for 2012 (ECoP 2012). This year’s assessment, like the one before it, considered nine separate, first order cost categories and found that maritime piracy cost the global economy between $5.7 and $6.1 billion in 2012. This estimate is the result of extensive research, supplemented by contributions from and an extensive audit by independent piracy experts. At between$5.7 and $6.1 billion, the cost of piracy to the global community fell by around $850 million, or 12.6% from 2011.
On 8 March 2013 EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez provided assistance to the crew of chemical tanker Royal Grace after the vessel was unexpectedly released by Somali pirates. The pirates had held the vessel after attacking it over a year earlier, on 2 March 2012 in the Gulf of Oman.
Sailors Helpline has produced a documentary film regarding the life of a fisherman who suffered under the capture of somali pirates but in the end managed to escape but only to find himself stranded in an Indian police station since any documents that could confirm his identity do not even exist. The film “Man Without a Nation” presents the background of the real story that has made headlines in India and elsewhere.
A new low budget Danish film confronts the global scourge of piracy on the high seas, creating a psychological drama around negotiations in order to free a vessel and her crew by Somali pirates. Written and directed by Tobias Lindholm, the film nowadays maritime piracy.
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Officer of the Watch 