4 Sovereignty and environmental protection.Earlier in 2017, a few incidents of piracy were reported as the navies of Asian and European nations began to more actively rescue hijacked ships, including the bulk carrier OS35. By November 2017, there were no major vessels or hostages remaining in pirate captivity. By 2010, these patrols were paying off, with a steady drop in the number of incidents. In the late 2000s, anti-piracy coalition known as Combined Task Force 150, including 33 nations, established a Maritime Security Patrol Area in the Gulf of Aden. Some believe that elements within Somalia collaborate with the pirates as a bulwark against others and for financial gain. International organizations began to express concern over the new wave of piracy due to its high cost to global trade and the incentive to profiteer by insurance companies and others. Large numbers of unemployed Somali youth began to see it as a means of supporting their families. With the region badly affected by poverty and government corruption, there was little political motivation at the local level to deal with the crisis. The pirates then began hijacking commercial vessels. This grew into a lucrative trade, with large ransom payments.
These groups, using small boats, would sometimes hold vessels and crew for ransom. This depleted local fish stocks, and Somali fishing communities responded by forming armed groups to deter the invaders. It was initially a threat to international fishing vessels, expanding to international shipping since the consolidation of states phase of the Somali Civil War around 2000.Īfter the collapse of the Somali government and the dispersal of the Somali Navy, international fishing vessels began to conduct illegal fishing in Somali territorial waters. Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas.