Piracy and armed attacks against merchant shipping off the Somali coast have generated intense public and governmental attention. The International Maritime Organization issued recommendations for flag states and guidelines for ships on preventing and suppressing piracy and armed attacks against merchant ships. The U.N. Security Council adopted four resolutions in 2008 specifically addressing piracy and armed attacks off the coast of Somalia. The Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia, comprised of 24 nations, several international organizations and nongovernmental organizations, was established to facilitate and coordinate the Security Council’s efforts to suppress piracy off Somalia. The Contact Group’s Working Group 3 has been tasked with developing guidelines specifically addressing Somali piracy based on the shipping industry’s best practices. The European Union, NATO and the U.S. Navy currently run anti-piracy naval operations in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, and at least 25 nations have sent naval units to Somali waters to suppress pirate attacks. These and numerous other efforts and discussions have examined almost every aspect of preventing and suppressing pirate attacks. What is missing? Here are 10 suggestions for governments, international organizations and the shipping industry to consider in the piracy debate:
1. Focus on merchant mariners before, during and after pirate attacks. Up to now, almost all attention has focused on preventing and suppressing pirate attacks. The aftereffects of attacks on mariners have received little attention. 2. Help all mariners, irrespective of nationality or flag. The U.S. and other countries’ economies and security depend upon merchant shipping. No nation meets its merchant shipping requirements with only its own seafarers and ships flying its own flag. It is therefore in the interest of the U.S. and other countries to protect all merchant mariners attacked by pirates, regardless of the mariners’ nationality or the flag of the ship. A vast disparity exists in responses to pirate attacks. Compare, for example, the response to the U.S.-flag Maersk Alabama and the response to the Nigerian-flag Yenegoa Ocean. The crew of the Yenegoa Ocean has remained captive since last August and effectively abandoned by its owner and flag state. 3. Ensure that captured seafarers receive wages and benefits. Surprisingly, some ship operators and flag states abandon seafarers after they are captured by pirates, leaving them and their families without wages and benefits. Provision should be made to ensure that seafarers receive all of their pay and benefits while held hostage. 4. Caring for seafarers’ families. Guarantee that the seafarers’ families will be briefed and provided for whenever a pirate attack or hostage taking occurs. Somali pirates often have their captive seafarers call family members to make demands and put pressure on governments and ship owners. Seafarers and their family members need assurances of ongoing efforts to gain the seafarers’ release and that families will also be cared for. 5. Provide for long-term aftercare. Seafarers should have access to appropriate medical care long after surviving a pirate attack. Traumatic events, like being attacked by pirates or being held hostage, affect different people in different ways. Some conditions resulting from a pirate attack may manifest significantly later, and provisions should exist to address these situations. 6. Find out what happens to seafarers who survive pirate attacks. Little is known about what happens to seafarers after they have endured a pirate attack. Are they still working? Are they scarred from their experience? Merchant mariners are highly mobile. Many work from contract to contract without maintaining connections with any one employer. After surviving a pirate attack and completing their contract or upon release from captivity, many merchant mariners often go home to resume their lives. The fact that little data exists on survivors of pirate attacks could be viewed as a lack of concern for them. This must change. 7. Conduct a clinical study of seafarers who survived pirate attacks. Many studies have looked into the effect of traumatic events on police, firefighters, military and others. Little literature exists on the psychological effects of being taken hostage, and no research has been published on the specific effects of piracy. There is a great need to complete a clinical study of the psychological impact of pirate attacks on seafarers that takes into account the unique nature of seafaring, including its multicultural nature. The results of such a study will help determine how best to care for seafarers who have survived a pirate attack. 8. Adopt guidelines caring for seafarers after a pirate attack. IMO and industry guidelines exist for preventing and suppressing pirate attacks. There are no guidelines for caring for seafarers who have survived a pirate attack other than guidance for debriefing seafarers for military or prosecutorial purposes. Some shipping companies have provided an extensive array of services and care for their crews following a piracy incident. The lessons learned from shipping companies caring for their crew members who have survived a pirate attack as well as the results of clinical studies should be consolidated into international guidelines. 9. Help for piracy attack survivors. The U.S. Department of Justice and every state in the U.S. have a tremendous range of services and resources to help crime victims and their loved ones repair the damage to their lives and property. Many Web sites provide comprehensive resource information and a wealth of practical information for victims of crimes. Although the resources address almost all kinds of crime, none focus on piracy survivors. The establishment of a resource center for piracy survivors would assist seafarers and ship owners alike in finding the help needed after an attack. 10. Don’t forget recruiting and retention. Recruiting and retaining sufficient numbers of skilled and reliable people to operate the vessels needed to sustain worldwide merchant shipping requirements — even in this economic downturn — remains the greatest threat to maritime security. The measures taken to protect seafarers from pirate attacks as well as how they are treated after surviving pirate attacks are major recruiting and retention factors. Other Piracy Articles * Special Piracy Report Home Page* Lesson No. 1: Be Prepared* Paying for Piracy* Piracy: By the Numbers* Washington Responds to Piracy* Q&A: Liability of Carrier for Piracy* Online Counter-Piracy Resources* Interview with Avalon Security (Advertorial)