PIRACY: Somaliland - Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Experts believe that more than 1,000 pirates now operate off the Somali coast, taking advantage of the lawlessness stemming from the country´s 18-year civil war. Young fishermen are lured by the promise of huge ransoms in the millions of dollars. For example, the owners of the hijacked MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and other weapons, recently paid a band of pirates US$3 million (Dh11m) for the release of the boat.

But piracy has its roots in illegal fishing and toxic waste dumping off the coast of Somalia, according to some of the pirates recently interviewed. Local fishermen began patrolling these waters demanding money for fishing rights from international ships. Once they realised they could make a profit, they began hijacking cargo vessels and extorting ransoms.

"Before we started the piracy, we appealed to the world to do something about the illegal fishing in our territorial waters," said Farah Ismail, a convicted pirate serving 15 years in a Somali prison. "They didn´t listen, so we turned to piracy."

In an interview from the prison in northern Somalia, Ismail described how his band of pirates captured large cargo ships using a six-meter skiff.

"The ships are very big and our boat is very small," he said. "Before he sees us, we can see him. Our boat is very speedy. By the time they see us, it is too late. We use ladders to climb on board. When we are on board, the first thing we do is cut their communication. Then, we use our guns and move the crew to one area."

Source: The National and Somaliland Times.