Maritime officials estimate that more than 35 ships have been hijacked this year, with at least 18 still being held. And just today, news of another ship being hijacked in the Gulf of Aden surfaced. This time it was a Yemeni vessel loaded with steel, and the crew even included three Somalis.
"It's getting out of control," Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau said. "Despite the increase of the military warships, the pirates have a lot of opportunities. They come in great numbers and can attack many ships."
Meanwhile, the Combined Maritime Forces continues to recommend that ships protect themselves by taking recommended routes through an international corridor in the Gulf of Aden that's being patrolled for piracy, and by hiring private security firms and equipping their ships with anti-piracy measures, such as fire hoses on deck.
This latest incident involving the Indian navy highlights the problem: Militaries are required to follow maritime law, which considers piracy a criminal matter, and letting the governments of countries where the pirates originate handle it. But in Somalia's case, there is no functioning government -- and the country hasn't had one in generations.
Government officials promise to crack down on the pirates, but with the majority of the country now controlled by Islamic insurgents, and the federal government barely hanging on, enforcing any kind of policy seems unlikely.
"Ultimately, piracy begins ashore," Lt. Nathan Christensen of the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet said. "It is an international problem that requires an international solution. The international community together as a whole needs to engage ashore to deter these acts from starting in the first place."
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