Countries push back against Somalia's pirates

'Mother ships'
The bandits are growing increasingly daring and clever. They spot potential victims from fishing boats or from the shore. From "mother ships" far out to sea they attack using smaller quick boats, clambering aboard their prey with ladders and grappling hooks. Some are armed with rocket-propelled grenades and have even tried to attack at least one U.S. Navy ship.

As with pirates of yesteryear, those in Somalia are lured by money. Chatham House estimates that the pirates have reaped up to $30 million in ransoms this year alone, and there's the risk that some may end up in the hands of terror groups.

But history also offers another lesson for the modern pirates: big powers have fought back hard.

Britain threw its formidable naval might to bring the heyday of Caribbean pirates to a close in the early 18th century. Less than a 100 years later, the young American nation fought North African pirate strongholds along the so-called Barbary Coast — battles that are recalled in the "shores of Tripoli" stanza in the Marines' Hymn.

The fight against the new breed of piracy is well-suited to international cooperation, particularly these days with the world's pre-eminent naval power — the United States — managing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The economic stakes are high in the Gulf of Aden: It is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, and rerouting vessels around the Cape of Africa would be costly.

France, which now holds the rotating EU presidency, wants the 27-member bloc to muscle up in defense, and Somalia's pirates may be a limited test case with other countries bogged down, shrunken or uninterested.

The highest-profile incident was last week's hijacking of the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 Soviet-designed tanks and weapons. The Faina, with 20 crew members on board, was anchored Friday near the central Somali town of Hobyo, with six U.S. warships within a 10-mile radius.

Some say shipping companies must do more — mainly by keeping a better lookout for small boats nearby. The IMB recommends round-the-clock radar watches and use of a tool called Secure Ship — a "non-lethal, electrifying fence" that sends out a 9,000-volt pulse to repel potential intruders.

More from msnbc.com Racist webcam? TheGrio's test says no View an interactive, HD panorama of N.Y.'s 30 Rock Scoop: No Tiger cub on way for Rachel Uchitel Census workers wanted, local roots preferred Cosmic Log: Decades of future science Answer Desk: Gold may be riskier than it seems Send your holiday pictures to troops

MORE FROM AFRICA

Africa Section Front

US professor among 5 sentenced to die in Ethiopia Last of rare rhinos moved in bid to breed Doctor's mission to save Ethiopian kids' hearts Malawi appeals for international help after quake Africa Section Front   Add Africa headlines to your news reader: