World mulls tougher action against pirates

Heavy firepower
Analysts say the Somali gangs have invested much of the estimated $150 million in ransom paid so far in new speedboats equipped with added firepower, including heavy 14.5-mm anti-aircraft machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers — a serious threat to even the largest merchant vessels.

Some shipping companies have hired private security firms and are even considering arming their crews. But the International Maritime Organization opposes such measures, saying  which they put crews in greater danger if ships are boarded by pirates.

Instead, it recommends sailing through pirate-infested waters at night, battening down all hatches to prevent entry into the ship, and posting lookouts with high-pressure hoses to ward off the light speedboats.

"One of the risks in carrying weapons is that you have to be sure you'll win because you're risking much more aggressive behavior from your attackers," said Chris Austen, who heads the London-based Maritime and Underwater Security Consultants.

Austen also noted that national laws generally forbid merchant ships from carrying weapons, which could subject crews to arrest in ports throughout Africa and the Mediterranean.

He said that armed confrontations increase the danger of hostage bloodbaths that have so far been avoided.

"The kidnappers so far have been very careful to look after the people they seized, and there have been very few injuries and deaths," he said.

Fixing the root cause
A number of shipping companies are considering rerouting their vessels from transiting through the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal — the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe — and instead sending them around the Cape of Good Hope.

Experts say this much longer journey would add 12-15 days to the trip and entail a prohibitive cost increase amounting to $20,000-$30,000 a day.

International legal questions are also delaying solutions. It remains unclear, for example, what would happen if a French boat intervenes on a hijacked Brazilian ship and arrests Somali pirates. Legal experts have not yet determined which country would have jurisdiction over the case.

As world governments and agencies scramble to find a broader long-term solution, some are saying that helping the Somali government re-establish control of security over lawless coastal regions is the only sure way to end the threat.

"The international community ... needs to look at the root cause and that is political instability in Somalia. In the end, that is going to be the solution to this problem," said Appathurai.

More from msnbc.com Power struggle threatens Pakistan’s leader  Swine flu booster shots? Good luck with that From Levi to Letterman: Palin's rough year Obama gets mixed reviews on China's blogs Ice addict heads for poles, Everest | Trek posts On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM AFRICA

Africa Section Front

Judge tosses Rwandan genocide conviction   Kenyans recruited to fight in Somalia Cattle raiders kill at least 10 in northern Kenya Make peace — mom's dying wish to rebel leader son Tourists return to Zimbabwe as economy recovers Kenyan girls given a chance to dream Africa Section Front   Add Africa headlines to your news reader: