Topic > Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: Taking the Initiative

IndexContextContextUnited Nations InvolvementNational Policies and SolutionsContextPiracy refers to violent attacks directed against any private naval transport by another separate entity on the high seas without jurisdiction of a particular state. Armed robbery, similar to piracy, is the same violent attack but in territorial waters under a state's law. While piracy has been a problem for centuries, the end of the Cold War ushered in a modern era in which pirates have taken advantage of particularly weak regions such as Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the South America and the Caribbean. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Somalia sparked global concern in 2005 when it became the worst case of piracy and armed robbery in the world. As a direct result of Somalia's political instability throughout history, piracy became an organized business that drove Somalia's now violent economy. In 2012, piracy and armed robberies amounted to approximately $34-101 million in ransoms, stolen money, and stolen property. Like Somalia, many other countries, including Nigeria, have poor cooperation with other states, a corrupt government, and lack the resources to fight piracy. and armed robbery to restore political stability. Every day 200,000 barrels of oil are lost to Nigerian pirates, causing Nigeria's economy to lose $202 million from 2006 to 2008 due to decreased crude oil exports, which accounts for 80% of their revenue . Global involvement to solve the problem was quickly put in place to combat the ever-growing crime. While the results are positive, the South China Sea, West Africa, and the Western Indian Ocean region now have the highest piracy rates. Piracy and armed robbery remain a problem, but complications related to judicial proceedings, extradition, other laws and new developments still require further solutions. United Nations involvement In response to the growing problem, North American and European operations, such as the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) ), Security Council (SC), General Assembly (GA), United Nations Office against drugs and crime (UNODC), International Maritime Organization (IMO) and task forces derived from these programs have worked to protect ships, improve defensive technology, and rewrite legislation that has enabled piracy and robbery armed to reach a new low in 2017 with only 188 reports during the entire year. The United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Program (UNOSAT), has recognized the dangers of piracy by becoming a profitable organized business as it already did in Somalia. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) helps clearly define piracy for the transmission of information internationally in Article 101, and the United Nations Development Program warns developing countries to crack down on corruption now before it is used as a tool for widespread chaos. In an effort to increase levels of prosecution, the General Assembly's Model Extradition Treaty establishes the basis by which states can reject a request to transfer suspected or prosecuted criminals from another country. The UNODC Anti-Piracy Program (CPP) collaborates with Kenya, Republicof Seychelles, Mauritius, Tanzania, Somalia and Maldives providing training to police forces, forensic equipment to better convict criminals, interpreters to break the language barrier in courts of law, legislation, facilities and participation in extradition to render judicial action more common and effective. Donna Leigh, the UN chair on piracy in Somalia, believes the appeal of piracy could be crushed by mass prosecutions, forcing more citizens to turn to other options. Since the UN Security Council passed resolutions 1814, 1816, 1838, 1846 and 1851 authorizing states to patrol and pursue Somali pirates, UNODC has become an extremely busy resource in piracy and armed activities. robbery especially because it continues to evolve. To continue to address security and order at sea and political, economic and social instability, UNODC fills gaps in state and international legislation to complement any new initiatives and to assist naval and anti-piracy forces that they are scattered throughout the mass of the sea. ocean. UNODC continues to seek alternative livelihoods through cooperation on information, new policies and improved criminal justice systems. UNODC funded Puntland's president, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas, and opened the largest prison in the Horn of Africa in April 2014 that can hold up to 500 pirates. The UNODC must ensure that prisons such as these have fair trials and security, while the piracy prisoner transfer program ensures that convicts are handed over to serve their sentences. Their global anti-money laundering program negates profits by blocking cash flow. To ensure the long-term effects of their efforts, UNODC aims to educate young people in Somalia and other poor countries to raise awareness and encourage them to avoid such crime. National policies and solutions Germany is a leading industrial nation in Europe and a super economic maritime power with a total of 3,716 merchant ships, the third largest merchant fleet. The German merchant fleet is often targeted by pirates, such as attacks on the Hansa Stavanger in 2009 and the Taipan in 2010. In 2011, there were 64 reports of attacks against German shipping lines. Around 70% of Germany's imports and exports take place through maritime trade, meaning that secure shipping routes are the backbone of the German economy and it is in their interest to fight piracy and armed robbery on all fronts. Germany is an active founding member of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and continues to participate in the five working groups. It is the nation's leader in supporting state initiatives to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia and is a member of the Confidence Council that handles prosecutions. In short, Germany supports the European Union and the UNODC in all investigations and prosecutions against piracy and armed robbery. The German government has agreed on a licensing procedure for security companies on board ships with strict requirements and detailed legislation. The new legislation is under the control of the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Expert Audit (BAFA) with the support and consultation of the Federal Police. This means that only authorized teams with government-approved documents will be able to protect German merchant ships. Only semi-automatic weapons will be allowed, and businesses will have to pay $9,800 for licenses. Insurance companies sometimes refuse thecoverage if a vessel chooses to sail without armed security guards, and those that do raise rates nearly 300 times more for sailing in high-risk areas. However, the pirates failed to capture a ship with private guards, lowering success rates in high-risk areas. Germany hopes that the success of the armed guards will reduce insurance rates and piracy rates as a long-term effect. While armed security guards are still a relatively new option and many states such as Indonesia do not allow foreign vessels with these armed guards to travel in their waters, Germany encourages other countries to introduce corresponding laws. The legislation was recommended by the IMO and was welcomed by the German Shipowners' Association VDR. However, legislation cannot control guarding actions at sea, as sadly demonstrated by the death of two Indian fishermen believed to be pirates by two Italian marines in February 2014. Government coordinator for the maritime industry, Hans-Joachim Otto, believes that all standards will be met with the new legislation so that incidents like this do not happen again. In December 2008, Germany joined the European naval operation Atalanta, which worked primarily to protect merchant ships carrying humanitarian aid for Somalia. In May 2012, Operation Atalanta was extended to combat land-based piracy and participate in the EU training mission to train naval units, coast guards and police of key coastal nations. They have already trained up to 3,000 soldiers in Uganda for Somalia. Operation Atalanta can conduct air strikes up to 2,000 meters inland (no German soldier can touch Somali soil) to combat piracy headquarters and assembly points on the mainland. Training naval units can increase coastal border patrolling, preventing pirates from reaching the open sea ten times the size of Germany, where it is harder to track them with only fifteen active ships bound by different mandates. Operation Atalanta is one of many international responses, but different mandates and priorities may make some ineffective. Germany calls for operational cooperation to balance restrictions between programs and better attack piracy and armed robbery. Training German naval troops can improve political stability in developing countries most affected by piracy. Increased coast guard monitoring and the introduction of more advanced technologies such as boats with GPS and navigation can help track criminals easily. Piracy decreased by 50% in Chittagong port in 2012 after the government invested in these new developments. More coastal patrols and better technology can also track down “mother ships” and pirates hiding in the difficult geography along the coasts. With governments regaining control over the issue, they can enforce laws such as monitoring the movement of boats in and out of ports to catch fake vessels and improve security in ports. A weak state fuels piracy, and international aid cannot fully combat the problem until states assume authority. Germany is asking states to accept foreign aid to train naval troops, learn to cooperate and exchange data with neighboring states to stop infiltration into territorial waters and regain national control. Another way states can establish authority and sovereignty is through judicial process, which has proven to be a major deterrent to piracy. In Germany, pirates.