Piracy and Yemen
The network of spotters is interesting, but the several Yemeni ports more so.
Yemen Times: But how did Yemeni fishermen become pirates? The answer was disclosed by the fishermen themselves, who explained that many times they have been kidnapped by Somalis pirates, who use the fishing boats to attack commercial ships.
Khaled Omar, the senior assistant of the captain on a fishing boat carrying about eight fishermen, explained that pirates usually use a nine meter-long fiberglass boat.
“Each fiberglass boat carries eight pirates armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades,” said Omar. “The fiberglass boats are very small compared with the ships they seize, so pirates seize the Yemeni fishing boats to use them in piracy.”
According to Omar, the pirates take the Yemeni fishermen hostage, forcing them to wander the sea using their boats until they achieve their goal. The pirates then released the Yemenis after having held them captive for hours or even days.
“During this time, the pirates threaten the fishermen with death if they refuse to carry out their orders,” said Omar.
Official reports say that nine Yemeni fishing boats have been seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden since the beginning of 2009.
Yemeni fishermen are accustomed to moving in the regional water to fish in a “nakhoda,” a medium-sized fishing boat. These boats cost YR 5-15 million each, which fishermen pay to obtain a livelihood.
Based on the season, fishing ground changes from Yemeni regional waters to the border with Somali waters. They seek out areas where the catch is best. Nowadays, the best fishing spot is in the Gulf of Aden where they can find shark.
However, Omar confirmed that the threats of pirates have prompted many fishermen to refrain from fishing as pirates use them as human shields and their boats to seize large commercial ships.
“We are not allowed to carry arms at sea,” Said Omar. “If the government finds any weapons with us on board, it prevents us from working for at least three months and we are fined YR 1 million. But as our boats are not bullet –proof, a single bullet can cause the boat to sink.”
Fishermen demand that the government allow them take weapons with them to defend themselves against pirate attacks. They say that these demands came after they lost hope that Yemeni Coast Patrol Authority would be able to protect them while fishing in Yemeni regional waters. However, Yemeni maritime laws don’t allow fishermen to carry weapons and those who violate the law are subjected to imprisonment and fined.
Asked whether pirates the routes and schedule of the targeted ships, Omar said that some Somali reports said that there is a network of spies who watch the movement of the targeted ships.
A Kenya-based maritime organization has estimated the number of pirates up and down the Somali coast at about 3,200 individuals in three groups.
Most of them worked in the Somali Coast Patrol Authority in the past. In addition, a number of Eritrean pirates are also present in the regional waters off the Somali coasts. Most pirates are stationed in Puntland, a semi-independent region in northeast Somalia, where the port of Ail reportedly the main stronghold of pirates.
Pirates not the only threat
Last May, local newspapers reported that six Yemeni fishermen were killed and several others injured in when two Yemeni boats were separately hit by international forces on suspicion of being pirates.
“We receive complaints from fishermen saying that they were insulted by the international forces who searched their boats, took their mobile phones and other equipment.” said a source in the Yemeni coastguards. “Some of them saying that they even were beaten by these soldiers.”
In a report released last December, the United Nations (UN) group monitoring the 1992 arms embargo on Somalia included a paragraph on piracy, alluding to the growing financial ties between Somali pirates and criminal entrepreneurs in Yemen.
The UN report said the NATO Shipping Center had identified five ports along the Yemeni coast, which were serving as re-supply stations for mother ships belonging to Somali pirates.
Mother ships are usually hijacked fishing trawlers or merchant vessels, used to tow the speedboats needed to attack slow-moving ships sailing in open waters.
Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal. Seven percent of world oil consumption passed through the Gulf of Aden in 2007, according to Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit.
A few dozen warships from the United States, the EU, NATO, Russia, China, India, Iran, Japan and Malaysia are positioned in the international waters to protect their interests and partake in anti-piracy missions.
Related: This has been quite a time in coming.
Yemen and Italy have reviewed the current arrangements for launching the 1st stage of a marine radar project in Aden in June 23rd to be carried out by the Italian company SELEX Sistemi.
Official news agency Saba reported that the Interior Minister Mutahar al-Masri on Wednesday discussed with the Italian ambassador to Yemen Mario Bofo arrangements to launch the project and the role of the Interior Ministry to remove obstacles may face the project.
Al-Masri praised the Yemeni-Italy joint cooperation and valued the Italy government’s support to Yemeni coastguards in technical and training areas.
For his part, the Italian ambassador highlighted the significance of the project, which reflects the strength of the bilateral relations between Yemen and Italy, showing its country’s readiness to provide the needed supporting in coastguard field, said Saba.
The Italian company SELEX Sistemi Integrti has signed a € 20 million contract with Yemeni Coastguard Authority for the supply of a VTMS system to secure the Yemeni coasts.
The system will provide coverage of about 450 Km of coastline along the Red Sea facing the Eritrean and Somali coasts and represents a first stage for a complete surveillance program including two further development stages.
