Hostage-taking and IUU Fishing Col (Retd) John Steed MBE Oceans - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Col (Retd) John Steed MBE Oceans Beyond Piracy Regional Manager Horn of Africa

Old and New Threats in Somalia’s Maritime Space:

Hostage-taking and IUU Fishing

Objective Reporting Coastal/Maritime Development Fighting Piracy Ashore

Addressing Somali Piracy

Maritime Communications Initiative Coastal Development Seafarer Support - Hostage Support Partnership

State of Maritime Piracy 2014

Securing Somalia’s Fisheries

Current Status – Defining the Threat

Major Reporting Centers OBP Publically Reported

Hijacked Vessels 5 Armed Robbery 1 1 Not Reported Failed Attacks 15 Suspicious Event 1 29 1 False Alarm ~60 Not Reported Not Reported

Recent attacks have not been documented by major reporting centers.

Crew of the Shiraj – held since April

Risk of Piracy Resurgence in Galmudug

• Few viable economic alternatives in Galmudug
• Weak governance and rule of law structures
• Provocations from IUU fishing off Somali coast/in Somali EEZ
• Little capacity building in counter-piracy efforts

“Poverty, unemployment, and illegal fishing are the main causes of involving youth into piracy activities” “I’m sure soon or later, pirates will re-organize themselves if things have not changed quickly”

IUU Fishing in Somali Waters

Illegal: fishing in contravention of law Unreported: fish catch not reported to Somali authorities Unregulated: fishing where management is not enforced or where detailed knowledge of fishery resources is lacking

GPS monitor showing location of Iranian fishing boat around Somalia in late 2014; expired fishing license for same boat; catch aboard same boat, potentially caught illegally in Somali waters.

Photos by Andy Hickman; Source: “Securing Somali Fisheries,” available at SecureFisheries.org

Poseidon, fishing illegally in Somali waters in 2014

Trawling vessels have:

• Operated continuously for two

decades in Somali waters

• Concentrated close to shore in

sensitive shallow water habitats

• Interacted, sometimes

destructively, with Somali fishers

• Damaged over 120,000 sq km
• f marine habitat that will take

more than 8 years to recover – if all trawling stopped today

IUU Bottom Trawlers Target Coastal Waters

Photo by Andy Hickman Source: “Securing Somali Fisheries” study by Secure Fisheries. Available at: securefisheries.org

50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011

Catch (mt)

(Over)fishing in Somali Waters

Source: “Securing Somali Fisheries” study by Secure Fisheries. Available at: securefisheries.org

Foreign vessels Somali vessels

Link Between IUU and Piracy

“The illegal fishing in Somalia has tremendously reduced the fishing activities of local businesses, leading to low production.… The fishermen fear the foreign illegal fishing ships will overrun them in the middle of the night, killing or seriously injuring them by firing their sophisticated

• armaments. These large, modern fishing

vessels are depleting our catch. The illegal fishing initiated Somali piracy, which in turn affected the cost of daily life

• here. The price of commodities went up,

which affected my business and daily life.”

• Jama Mohamud Ali, Puntland

Human Cost of Piracy - Hostage Support

Human Cost of Piracy

• Objective 1: Monitor and Track all Hostages in

Somalia (Pirate Victims and other hostages)

• Objective 2: Provide support in captivity (captives

and families)

• Objective 3: Facilitate recovery to a safe location
• Objective 4: Assist with repatriation to home country
• Objective 5: Provide victim support post release

Human Cost of Piracy

Major Reporting Centers Publically Reported OBP Seafarers Held Hostage 26 26 41 Non Seafarers Held by Pirates Not Reported Not Reported 4 Escaped Not Reported Not Reported 38 Total Hostages Held 26 26 45

Even after release the pain goes on !

Maritime Communications Initiative – The MCI promotes regional cooperation and communications to increase the safety of seafarers in the region by establishing Maritime Operations Centres in major Somali ports (Berbera, Bosasso, Mogadishu and Ph 2 Kismayo and Hobyo) The Maritime Operations Centres:

• Establish maritime situational awareness
• Improve information sharing
• Increase understanding of local vessel and fishing habits
• Provide a point of contact for seafarers on maritime safety

issues

• Serve as local point of contact for international navies

Capacity Building in Somalia

FGS EUFRT Crew members conduct communications training with Somaliland Coast Guard in Berbera, February 2016

Photos by Ben Lawellin