Let me now set out ten key findings from the two days of discussions at the Perth Counter-Piracy Conference, that are not otherwise covered in my Final Chairman’s statement.
Information sharing
The experience of ReCAAP points to the importance of having a single focal point for coordinating the handling of information in each country participating in a regional information-sharing centre. Networking between representatives of the focal points is important to build the trust and relationships necessary for effective information sharing.
Think globally, act regionally and nationally
The maxim of developing best practices at a global level, but applying them at the regional and national level applies to counter-piracy measures. Regional and national ownership of operations and responses is essential.
Southeast Asia and the Gulf of Guinea region have working governments and are sensitive to active international participation in regional counter-piracy operations. They do not wish to see operations internationalised.
The Horn of Africa is an exception to this principle due to the problems of governance in Somalia.
powers, but rather should be shaped by the needs of identified countries and addressed accordingly. He made four key points on the topic of countering piracy: government commitment is essential; regional
cooperation is crucial; the role of international organisations is important; and that there’s a connection between piracy and a spectrum of illegal behaviour.
CAPT Hesse also highlighted the new global Long Range Identification and Tracking Systems which will be potentially useful for tracking ships and providing added security.
His Excellency Jean-Francis Zinsou, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Benin to the United Nations, addressed the economic cost of piracy to Benin and the shortfall this created in government revenue.
He spoke about the issue of piracy being considered by the UN Security Council and how countries in the Gulf of Guinea region had shaped UN Security Council action to investigate counter-piracy strategies.
Captain Denis Hounsou Gbessemehlan, Benin Chief of Naval Staff, spoke about the importance of his country’s joint naval patrols with Nigeria. He emphasised the essentiality of political will and the need to develop capabilities to counter piracy, and underlined the drastic reduction of illegal activities at sea which had been achieved through
‘Operation Prosperity’.
Rear Admiral Austin Oyagha, Naval Headquarters, Nigerian Navy, outlined various counter-piracy initiatives undertaken by Nigeria including the demobilisation of 1,600 militants and reintegration of these militants back into Nigerian society. He spoke of the success of joint patrolling and training in ‘Operation Prosperity’ which has been extended for another six months.
RADM Oyagha outlined several lessons for counter piracy: a stable political state is essential; it must be a collaborative effort;
• the requirement for ships at anchor to keep their Automatic Identification System (AIS) active and to report at regular intervals to the command and control headquarters
• the importance of a clear statement of responsibilities for the agencies involved.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
The incidence of IUU fishing is an important causal factor in all main regions of the world where piracy and armed robbery against ships occur. Sometimes this fishing is not strictly illegal because the coastal state concerned has not declared the necessary maritime zones or has not legislated for enforcement against illegal fishing.
More could be done to address this problem by:
• closer monitoring of the situation by regional fisheries management organisations
• capacity-building assistance for the coastal states concerned for the establishment of the appropriate zones and development of the necessary legislation
• better self-regulation by the distant water fishing nations that may engage in IUU fishing.
Social costs
Greater international attention might be given to the social costs of piracy. The Save Our Seafarers campaign supported by influential maritime associations, trade unions and P&I insurers has done much to draw international attention to the plight of seafarers affected by piracy.
However, there are also the ‘hidden victims’
of piracy. These are the families of seafarers Piracy statistics
Some governments are dissatisfied with the way in which statistics are presented on piracy and armed robbery against ships.
The incidence can be inflated by including acts of petty theft from ships in port or at anchor, including ones where the robbers are not armed.
This problem arises because the IMO and the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recognise only two forms of crime—piracy and armed robbery against ships.
ReCAAP has circumvented this problem and recognised the sensitivities of some Asian countries by recently introducing an additional classification of petty theft of minimum significance.
The IMB and IMO might consider doing likewise.
Port and anchorage security
Many reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships occur in ports and anchorages. These distort the overall picture of global piracy and the responses required.
Security in ports and anchorages is under the jurisdiction of the relevant coastal state but many states lack the capacity to provide this security. The situation can also be complicated by the overlap of responsibilities between the agencies providing the security, such as navy, coast guard, port administration, and local police forces.
A guide might be developed covering best practice for security in ports and anchorages covering for example:
• the importance of radar coverage of the port and anchorage with effective monitoring by a command and control headquarters
ships, and an obstacle to effective policing against these crimes onshore.
Corruption also facilitates transnational organised crime, including in the necessary planning and implementing of piratical acts, such as the theft of cargo from oil tankers anchored in the Gulf of Guinea and the hijacking of tugs in Southeast Asia. Anecdotal reports from the Horn of Africa suggest that corrupt officials may be protecting pirates in Somalia and sharing in the spoils of ship hijackings.
Vested interests
Measures to countering piracy and armed robbery against ships have many stakeholders in both the public and private sectors.
Most are genuinely concerned with the eradication of these crimes, but some, such as private security companies and parts of the marine insurance industry, benefit from the continuation of these crimes. This can lead to the distortion of risk assessments and policy responses.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank each of the speakers at the Perth Conference for their insightful and significant contributions to the issue of countering piracy, as well as the Conference delegates who contributed their expertise in the interactive parts of the Perth meeting.
I would also like to offer my thanks to the conference team from International Policy Division, Australian Department of Defence, supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, whose hard work made the event possible.
Finally, I will be reporting back to the Australian Government on the findings from the Perth Conference.
I hope that these findings will inform its plans for enhancing Australia’s counter-piracy strategy in the United Nations and elsewhere.
held hostage, of fishermen whose livelihoods have been affected by piracy, and even of the pirates who may be ‘lost’ at sea.
The situation is aggravated by some ship owners of vessels held for ransom not caring sufficiently about the welfare of ships’ crews and by unreported incidents of ‘trigger happy’
armed guards.
Coastguard function
Piracy and armed robbery against ships are just two forms of illegal activity at sea.
The coast guard function is an important consideration in both regional cooperation and national arrangements for managing the maritime domain because it embraces all forms of illegal activity at sea, as well as search and rescue and marine environmental protection.
The coast guard function is actively promoted by the IMO, for example, in the Integrated Coast Guard Function Network, being developed by the IMO in conjunction with the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa to provide a regional mechanism for combating piracy and armed robbery against ships, and for enhancing maritime security in West and Central Africa.
Legal finish
The lack of ‘legal finish’ has been frustrating for the international agencies involved in counter-piracy operations. The justice sector is an important area for capacity-building along with arrangements for prisoner transfer and prosecution. Domestic legislation needs to cover inchoate offences, such as facilitation of piracy and receiving the proceeds of piracy.
Corruption
Improved governance onshore does not necessarily mean the end of corruption. Public or private sector corruption can be both a cause of piracy and armed robbery against
seafarers. According to EUNAVFOR, as of 2 July 2012, Somali pirates were holding 7 vessels and approximately 211 crew.
• In the Gulf of Guinea, piracy is an increasing concern. By targeting lucrative cargo including oil on ships, piracy is a threat to the peace, security and development of West and Central African countries.
Prime causes of piracy around the world lie in the common causes of criminal activity generally - lack of economic opportunity, employment, and effective policing. Good policing onshore is an important factor in preventing piracy and sea robbery because the perpetrators operate from land bases where their activities are more vulnerable to detection and disruption than they are at sea. If there is not good policing onshore, invariably there is a lack of effective law enforcement at sea. Good order at sea begins with good order on land.
The conference commended the efforts being made by navies and other maritime security forces around the world to counter piracy and armed robbery against ships. It also noted the excellent work to counter piracy being done by international agencies, notably the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO or INTERPOL).