Two weeks back, an Indian cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates. After years of calm in the Indian Ocean, there has been a wave of piracy attacks in the past two months. Has piracy made a comeback?
Seas not safe
There were hundreds of attacks from 2008 to 2012. In 2011 alone there were 237 attacks. They declined steeply after ship owners improved security measures and international naval forces stepped up patrols, according to Reuters. Increase in security measures were complemented by aid organisations which came up with alternatives for young men who took to piracy, wrote Pulitzer-winning journalist Jeffrey Gettleman in the New York Times. Then, the seas became safe again. But not for long
Islamic State threat
The funds used by the other organisations were then used to battle other threats, including the Islamic State, adds Gettleman. Coastal towns in Puntland, a semiautonomous region in northwestern Somalia, were recently invaded by the IS. The recent attacks are believed to have been carried by pirates from Puntland or central Somalia
Attacking for food
Somalia, which has been hit by droughts, is also on the verge of famine. Experts say that this could also be one of the reasons for the rise in piracy. Some vessels targeted were carrying food and oil. Apart from that, some citizens feel that the government is colluding with the pirates. Only in February Somalia elected a new president
At the end of the day, analysts said, Somali piracy is a business decision. Rich merchants in central Somalia and Puntland must have decided that after years of being a money-losing operation, there were riches to made again in high-seas piracy