How Somalian pirates choose the life of a pirate, how they carry out their work, why they choose such a dark path. Initially they demanded to guard the illegal fishing in the Somali sea border. Over time, Somali pirates began robbing ships.Even the UN ships carrying food for the poor people of Somalia were not spared.Since then they have earned millions of dollars by looting cargo ships.
In the 1970s, Somalia was hit by a severe drought. As a result of the economic crisis and civil war, life in Somalia became very difficult. The poverty and harshness of life at that time led the fishermen to piracy. Distinguishing pirates from fishermen is a bit challenging, but the easiest way is to look inside their boats. If they carry firearms and sharp weapons, they are pirates. Since fishermen are not supposed to have these weapons.
So being a pirate in Somalia was not very difficult. That’s why many Somalis wanted to choose the path of pirates. They only needed boats, rifles and small ships. Somalian pirate gangs make an average of $150 million a year by robbing a ship. Which means that one pirate will get 2 million dollars a year. So no wonder, their parents encouraged them to become pirates.
Piracy activity in Somalia has increased significantly since 2005. In 1998, Somalian pirates started attacking large foreign ships with specific targets. In 2008, there were more than 100 robbery attacks in Somali waters. And this number continues to grow in the following years.
Somali pirates often target cargo ships. The ships carry valuable goods like oil weapons and luxury goods. They demanded huge ransoms from the ship owners to release the ships and captive crews in their possession
By 2010, Somalian pirates reached their peak with more than 200 attacks a year. This has resulted in a significant reduction in international trade in Somalia’s waters. Even many countries at that time had to send their warships to deal with the pirates. With the passage of time, due to various reasons, the activity of pirates started to decrease.
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This has been made possible by some great steps taken by Somalia, including increased international maritime patrols and better protection for commercial vessels. However, pirates are still active in Somalia. Although that number is much lower than a few years ago.
How do Somali pirates rob such large ships? They adopt different tactics during their attacks. Some of these tactics include using other ships as bait. Throwing grenades at targets and setting mines in the water to intercept ships. They can use modern technology such as GPS to monitor the movement of the ship.
As long as the Somalian pirates hold the ship and its crew captive, they continue to demand ransom from the ship’s owner. The ransom amount can usually reach millions of dollars. If the ship’s owner refuses to pay the ransom, the pirates may turn violent on the crew. Even their lives and doubts may arise.
