Since the end of the region’s monsoon season more than two months ago, the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) has been reporting new encounters between pirates and merchant ships nearly every week.
The force was formed in response to United Nations Security Council resolutions in 2008 to protect shipping and track down pirates. EU member countries contribute warships which patrol the
An analysis of the reports, and those of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), shows that pirates are using military-grade weaponry to attack ships, and receive the sanction and support of Somali warlords who see hijacking foreign ships and holding them for ransom as a lucrative venture.
Attacks usually follow a predictable pattern, carried out with the intention of forcing ship owners or governments
to pay large ransoms to ensure the safe release of crew. They take place across a vast swathe of the Indian Ocean, some occurring east of the
Source: Allafrica