Need For Co-Ordinated Counter-Piracy Strategy

An important lesson from 2008 having a bearing on national, regional and global economic security is the need for a global co-ordinated counter-piracy strategy.
2. This need was highlighted by the dramatic surge in the activities of pirates of Somalian and Yemeni origin in the seas to the West of India----particularly in the Gulf of Aden. It has been estimated that pirates ---predominantly from Somalia ---- carried out more than 112 attacks in the key shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden, located between the south of Yemen and the north of Somalia, and the Indian Ocean east of Somalia during 2008. They had in their custody at the end of the year about 20 ships, including an Ukrainian ship called "Faina" carrying over 30 tanks to Kenya and a Saudi super-tanker called "Sirius Star" with crude oil worth about an estimated US $ 100 million. The pirates have since released the super-tanker and the ship with tanks after the alleged payment of ransom by the owners of the ships. The surge reportedly pushed up insurance costs and earned the Somali pirates tens of millions of dollars in ransom. ..more..http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers31/paper3059.html
Piracy in Somalia waters: Time for Indian lead initiative
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers30/paper2932.html
Active Defence Of Indian Shipping Against Somali Piracy: International Terrorism Monitor---Paper No. 470http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers30/paper2933.html