With the killing this week of four Americans by Somali pirates, there is renewed debate over how to deal with the piracy problem. Among those studying the issue is Professor Peter Lehr of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, author of the book Violence at Sea: Piracy in the Age of Global Terrorism.Needle in a haystackSomali piracy has been a tough problem to solve, despite international naval patrols.“You never have enough warships on station,” Lehr says, “It’s simply not working. If you look at the coastline of Somalia alone, that’s 3,300 kilometers we are talking about. And then take a look at how far away from their own shores they strike. That’s now 1,500 nautical miles, which means that reaches up to the west coast of India to the Mozambique Channel. Looking for them is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
PIRACY
23 February 2011 - 19:57
Somalia: Not Enough Ships to Stop Pirate Attacks
With the killing this week of four Americans by Somali pirates, there is renewed debate over how to deal with the piracy problem.
PIRACY
23 February 2011 - 19:57
With the killing this week of four Americans by Somali pirates, there is renewed debate over how to deal with the piracy problem. Among those studying the issue is Professor Peter Lehr of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, author of the book Violence at Sea: Piracy in the Age of Global Terrorism.Needle in a haystackSomali piracy has been a tough problem to solve, despite international naval patrols.“You never have enough warships on station,” Lehr says, “It’s simply not working. If you look at the coastline of Somalia alone, that’s 3,300 kilometers we are talking about. And then take a look at how far away from their own shores they strike. That’s now 1,500 nautical miles, which means that reaches up to the west coast of India to the Mozambique Channel. Looking for them is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
This news 14773 hits received.
These news may also interest you