Somali pirates extend their hunting season using mother ships
Free download in PDF Implications of Somali mother ships
The increased use of large hijacked cargo ships and trawlers as mother ships by Somali pirates is a “game changer.” Using hijacked ships and their kidnapped crew will let pirates operate despite the harsher weather during the winter monsoon. The maritime security consultancy Risk Intelligence has released an assessment of the consequences of this new strategy.
“Piracy off Somalia have traditionally tapered off during the monsoon, but with this new development, there might be no let-up in pirate attacks during this year’s winter monsoon” says Dirk Steffen, Director of consultancy in Risk Intelligence.
The assessment from Risk Intelligence finds that some of the implications of the new pirate tactics are:
- Reduced dependency on seasons, currents and weather conditions
- Increased range
- Higher transit speeds
- Mother ships used for direct attack
- Threat of reprisal against captured crew of the hijacked vessels