USCG Special Statement for Yachts, Somalia Piracy

[mike ritenour]

I copied this from a Maritime Today posting, thought it might be of interest:

USCG Special Statement for Yachts, Somalia Piracy
Tuesday, March 08, 2011, 10:35 AM
The International Superyacht Society (ISS) received the following communication from CDR David G. McClellan, Chief, Prevention Operations Department, USCG Sector Miami. He has that this message be distributed to all mariners. This is critical information for persons either planning or knowing parties planning to sail in the area that transverses the seas off the Coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea South to the Mozambique Channel and East to the coast of India. Per CDR McClellan, Internet release is authorized.

R 041954Z MAR 11
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-54//
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS //N16210//
ALCOAST 084/11
COMDTNOTE 16210
SUBJ: SPECIAL NOTICE TO MARINER (NTM) FOR US YACHTS AND SAILING VESSELS REGARDING PIRACY OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA

1. ON 18 FEB 11, A U.S. REGISTERED SAILING VESSEL WITH 4 US CITIZENS ON BOARD WAS HIJACKED BY SOMALI PIRATES IN THE ARABIAN SEA, 282NM SE OF SUR, OMAN. DURING NEGOTIATIONS FOR RELEASE OF THE VESSEL, THE 4 US CITIZENS ONBOARD WERE KILLED.

2. THE EXTREME HAZARDS OF OPERATING OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA IN THE GULF OF ADEN AND THE ARABIAN SEA SOUTH TO THE MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL AND EAST TO THE COAST OF INDIA, REQUIRES IMMEDIATE EDUCATION OF THE RISK TO ANY U.S. REGISTERED PLEASURE VESSEL OPERATING IN THESE WATERS OR U.S. CITIZENS PLANNING TO TRANSIT THESE AREAS ON FOREIGN FLAG REGISTERED PLEASURE VESSELS.

3. A SPECIAL NOTICE TO MARINERS WARNING VESSEL OPERATORS OF THIS RISK HAS BEEN RELEASED THROUGH THE NAVCENS WEBSITE
(HTTP://WWW.NAVCEN.USCG.GOV/) AND THROUGH DISTRICT LOCAL NOTICES TO
MARINERS. THE SPECIAL NOTICE HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO NATIONAL BOATING FEDERATION, NASBLA, US SAIL, BOAT US, US POWER SQUADRON, AND OTHER BOATING/YACHTING ENTHUSIAST GROUPS TO POST OR LINK THROUGH THEIR WEB SITES OR PUBLISH IN THEIR NEWSLETTERS, TWITTER-FACEBOOK OR BLOG POSTS, OR MONTHLY MAGAZINES.

4. OCEANGOING SAILING VESSEL RALLIES AND U.S. PLEASURE VESSELS INVOLVED IN CIRCUMNAVIGATION VOYAGES MAY BE UNAWARE OF THE EXTREME RISK TO LIFE AND VESSELS OPERATING OFF THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA. THE SUBJECT NTM WAS SPECIFICALLY RELEASED TO REINFORCE THESE IMPORTANT CONCERNS AND TO PROVIDE CONTACT INFORMATION TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT THE SAILOR IN THAT THEY MAY HAVE OR PLAN VOYAGES THROUGH THESE HIGH RISK WATERS.
THE WIDEST DESEMINATION OF THIS NTM TO THE PUBLIC AND US REGISTERED OCEAN YACHT OPERATORS IS IMPERATIVE.

5. DISTRICT AND UNIT RECREATIONAL BOATING SPECIALISTS, AND UNIT AUXILIARISTS SHOULD ENSURE WIDEST DISSEMINATION/EDUCATION OF THIS NTM AND TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH YACHTING CENTER MANAGERS AND POST/DISTRIBUTE THE SUBJECT DOCUMENT DIRECTLY TO YACHT OPERATORS/OWNERS WHO COULD BE PLANNING FUTURE CIRCUMNAVIGATION VOYAGES.

6. COMDT ( CG-54222 ) POC: MR. JOSEPH CARO, 202-372-1068.

7. RADM KEVIN COOK, DIRECTOR OF PREVENTION POLICY, SENDS.

8. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.
BT
NNNN

CDR David G. McClellan
Chief, Prevention Operations Department, Sector Miami-
100 MacArthur Causeway
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Ph: 305-535-8709
Cell: 786-295-9083
Fax: 305-535-8740
E-mail: David.G.McClellan@uscg.mil

[Carl Thunberg]

Rit,

Thanks for posting this. I knew the problem was big, but I had no real comprehension of exactly how big. Seriously, take a look at a map. To my eye, this area looks about the same size as all of western Europe.

[jbenagh]

From a couple weeks ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/weeki ... dia&st=cse

[quote]The pirates used to stick relatively close to Somalia’s shores. But now, using “mother shipsâ€

[Sea Hunt]

Last night C-SPAN 3 aired a program of a panel discussion concerning piracy along the Somali coast. The panelists included US Coast Guard, US Marine Corp, US Navy and Canadian Maritime officers, plus a recently retired US Navy Admiral who headed the task force currently deployed in the theatre.

It was educational. The panelists discussed various methods used by pirates - techniques, procedures, as well as the motivations of pirates, avoidance techniques, etc.

For me, the take away was that there is pretty much nothing that any nation, task force, etc. can do about the piracy in the region - given the current reluctance of nations to take direct action against the pirates. The USCG Admiral on the panel was blunt in stating that the pirates have "upped the ante" and clearly announced intentions to kill all hostages taken should anyone attempt a rescue mission.

It is depressing to think that a small, poorly trained, poorly armed and equipped group of thugs can bring the superpower nations of the world to their collective knees with the threat of killing civilian hostages.

Our Forefathers in this country did not win the American Revolution by cowering at the thought of unfortunate civilian casualties during combat. We did not win two world wars by cowering at the prospect of civilian deaths in close quarter house to house fighting in towns and cities all over Europe.

Civilized world leaders now cower at the prospect of civilian casualties being broadcast 24/7 across cable news programs. Perhaps we are brought to our collective knees as much by the fear of adverse publicity as we are by the desire not to suffer civilian casualties.

This 21st century version of piracy will only end when the civilized nations of the world are willing to confront piracy head on with direct action. When a ship is seized, we need to attack it, board it and kill the pirates. If it gets to shore, we need to aggressively pursue them on shore and kill the pirates. The pirates will get the message: no ransoms will be paid and we will hunt you down and kill you. For those who would suggest that this strategy will not work need only look at the State of Israel. They have never negotiated with hostage takers. They never will. Everyone in the world knows it. Everyone in the world knows they will unrelentingly pursue hostage takers anywhere and everywhere.

Will there be civilian casualties in combating piracy Sadly, yes. But the alternative is to not sail or transit within 1000 nautical miles of the Horn of Africa and thus cede a significant portion of the world's oceans to these pirates - or be prepared and willing to pay millions of dollars in ransom with the hope that innocent hostages will then be released by criminals with no moral compass whatsoever.

[Kilgore]

Agreed. If the USN is 'too big' to fight piracy, perhaps mercs like Blackwater can.

[Andy Denmark]

n/m

[Jim Davis]

However perhaps a relevant question should be "What Navy(s)?" None of the major players really have the combatant ships to be effective patrolling this area in addition to their other commitments. Add in our scrupulous desire to not offend the pirates rights renders the possibility of real deterrence moot.

The nations with major maritime interests in region, and the shipping companies have long ago decided that they prefer to buy back their crews and ships, rather than make more than an ineffective show of force.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 52294.html

[John Vigor]

It seems to me there are reasonable grounds for regarding the present modus operandi of the Somali pirates as terrorism. That being the case, why don't we simply take the pirates into custody and ship them off to Gitmo after sinking their vessels?

Alternatively, we could hold the pirates hostage and demand large ransoms for their release. (That would certainly help our deficit problem.) We certainly have the means to do this. How long before we find the will?

It reminds me of the old French saying:

Behold a beast of nature black;
When one attacks it, it fights back!

Isn't it time to fight back?

John V.

[Cathy Monaghan]

John,

I keep trying to smack that bug but the darned thing just won't stand still.


-Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan bay

[Markst95]

Time to ship him out to a flea circus.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Piracy is more akin to crime rather than terrorism. I don't think there is much in the way of political motives. Its all about money.

If the US had significant strategic interests in the action of the piracy I'm sure we would take action. What are our strategic interests? To protect our citizens who are dumb enough to ignore warnings and go to dangerous parts of the world expecting to be rescued and / or avenged? In the relative significance of world events and problems its pretty low on the scale.

Who pays for it. Maybe someone could start an international version of towboat that provided protection all over the world for private yachts that venture far and wide. What do you think that would cost? Maybe we could impose a 10% tax on all marine related purchases to fund a US International marine police. Eveyone want to pay that?

Or maybe we should just expect that people who make stupid decisions regarding risks taken in remote parts of the world may just be on their own. I'll let the commercial shipping companies make their own cost / benefit decisions.

Don't read anything political in my post. It's just that even though I'm a sailor and love sailing I don't have a lot of sympathy for sailors who don't use common sense in spite of ample warnings.

[Bibster]

Piracy is more akin to crime rather than terrorism. I don't think there is much in the way of political motives. Its all about money.

Without going into too much detail, prior to my retirement from the Department of the Navy as a senior civilian a couple of years ago I was knee-deep in the piracy issue. And, you are absolutely correct -- piracy is a criminal issue, not a terrorism issue. It is a low risk, high reward endeavor. We tried very hard to find a linkage between Somali pirates and terrorist groups, and it just isn't there. In fact, when the Islamic hardliners (who would tend to be more sympathetic to Al Qaida and related groups) were in charge of the country, they clamped down hard on piracy and pretty much put a stop to it. However, the Islamists were driven out of power with the encouragement of the U.S. government (and, all things considered, I personally think that was the right move).

I would also make the point that the worst way to attack the problem of Somali piracy is to try to disrupt or deter it on the high seas. That is simply a game of "whack-a-mole" and the odds favor the pirates; there is more water and more shipping than we can effectively monitor. The most effective way to deal with the issue is to remove their support infrastructure on the land and to change the conditions that create piracy. However, this is a long-term and risky proposition, and given our own sad history in that country (anybody who has watched the movie "Blackhawk Down" knows what I am talking about), there is zero political will for the U.S. to go back into Somalia, and none of our international partners are up the task.

Furthermore, the Navy's attitude (rightly or wrongly, I am not pronouncing any judgment) is that the civil maritime industry has the means to deal with this issue on its own. The insurers, ship owners, etc. could work out their own strategies and purchase the technology to deal with the problem. However, this would cut into profit margins, and the prevailing attitude is that the insurance companies will ultimately cover the losses if a ship is seized. The Navy really doesn't like being in the position of having pirates in their custody and then having to deal with the jumble of international laws concerning jurisdiction, etc. I was told this directly by the former Commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command.

Finally, I agree with the sentiment that it is hard to feel sorry for private yachtsmen who enter this territory and then suffer the consequences. There have been ample warnings from numerous authorities, and a simple review of headlines should be enough to persuade folks that going to this region is a bad choice. The people who persist in making that bad choice shouldn't have a great expectation that the U.S. Navy is going to be able to protect them.

[rtbates]

Maybe this COULD be one answer... http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... ckage.html

[Sea Hunt]

I know this is a serious subject, but Randy that is the funniest post I have read in a very long time.

[rtbates]

I know this is a serious subject, but Randy that is the funniest post I have read in a very long time.

Isn't it though... Something for the frustrated mercenary...